A new create-your-own pizza shop is coming to downtown State College. Here’s what to expect
A create-your-own pizza shop working toward its grand opening in downtown State College planned to take things slow for the first few weeks.
Weirdoughs Custom Pizzeria’s soft launch followed the same scheme as many other restaurants — get employees onboard, work out the kinks and gather feedback before welcoming the masses.
But rather than unveiling the eatery to family, friends or colleagues, founder Joseph Boss and managing partner Omer Dogru were greeted by Penn State football coach James Franklin.
Boss, a Delaware native who didn’t attend Penn State, opened the door without knowing the man in the blue mask, blue shirt and khakis was the leader of the soon-to-be ranked Nittany Lions.
Dogru, a State College Area High School and Penn State graduate, wasn’t fooled. “That’s coach,” he yelled out.
“I opened up the door, he came in and he was like, ‘Hey, want me to be your first customer? Welcome to Penn State, welcome to State College. We’re so lucky to have you guys here,’ ” Boss said. “That was just an awesome thing. Coach Franklin was the first person to walk through our business.”
A visit from the seventh-year head coach, who has acknowledged the relationship between his program and businesses in the Centre Region, also prompted a design change.
Boss and Dogru plan to unveil “Coach’s Corner,” where Franklin stopped for a photo with the two.
“It was epic,” Boss said. “It was so cool to have that happen.”
Weirdoughs, 204 E. College Ave., replaced Brother’s Pizza, which closed in May. The latter was owned and operated by Dogru’s parents, so it was only a matter of time until he found a way to continue his family’s pizza-making legacy.
He partnered with Boss, who was looking for a spot to open the first Weirdoughs — a name Boss said he hatched at about 2 a.m. in Florida after “a couple glasses of whiskey.”
He looked at opening the first Weirdoughs near Ohio State and Michigan State, but couldn’t pass up opening across from Old Main in a community that “really supported the school.”
“I had better locations at Michigan State and Ohio State, but quite frankly, I just felt like Penn State was the best location for the environment and the culture. It felt like a real college town,” Boss said. “If you shot a movie tomorrow and you wanted it to be in a college town, I would say Notre Dame and Penn State, those are the two you’d pick.”
The restaurant prides itself on being anything other than “boxy,” Boss said.
The eatery won’t be afraid to pile on the toppings. Some signature pizzas include the “meatradamus,” “cheese-a-palooza,” “sriracha Cheez-It,” and the “margheweirdo.”
About 10-20 people are expected to be employed at the business. A grand opening will likely be scheduled for October, Boss said.
“Penn State just has its own vibe. We’re gonna go open next to Florida State and everyone brags about Florida State being a big party school, but it has nothing on Penn State,” Boss said with a laugh. “I think if you took anyone from Florida and put them at Penn State, they wouldn’t know what to do. It definitely is a culture there and now I know why Penn Staters are lifers.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 12:44 PM.