When you think about fall, you probably think about playing football with friends, jumping in a big pile of leaves, and carving pumpkins. Not us. We think about pizza. Mmm, pizza. It makes sense, though. Pizza is the color of fall! The red pepperonis, the yellow mozzarella, the delicious brown crust. It's like taking a big bite out of a tree, for Pete's sake! Sorry, Pete, but it's true. So for the month of September, we dawned our thermal underpants and finest flannel and visited Pizza Pan. Here's what we found out:
Pizza Pan is is located a comfortable walk's distance from Olivet Nazarene University near the campus' intramural fields. Initially, we were skeptical of our chosen eatery. There was little space available in a somewhat confusing parking lot, and the owner's idea of landscaping was to pile together a bunch of rocks in the front lawn...ironically where more parking could have been. Inside, however, we found a clean and friendly environment in which to dine.
We were immediately greeted by, not one, not two, but three of the kitchen staff, who just happen to be family. Aww! Cute points. Our cashier was quick to offer us a menu and help make recommendations for our first visit. She was even kind enough to tell us about ways that we could save money by using our ONU connection. Go tigers! After some serious deliberating and furrowing of brows, we decided to order Amber's favorite: barbecue sauce. More specifically, we chose a 12" grilled barbecue chicken pizza with bacon ($11.99) and two cans of pop ($1.29 each).
We put on our white gloves and inspected cleanliness next. The dining area, which seats up to twenty-two guests at a time, was nice but not amazing. There was little attempt at decorating and the furnishings were simple. Honorable mention ought to be given to Mrs. Pizza Pan Lady, who put together an appetizing-looking gelato display. What were particularly impressive were the bathrooms. The word we have chosen for them is "accommodating." Why accommodating you ask? We will tell you. First, they were clean. Second, there was more space and design-thought put into these small rectangles than the rest of the building. Third, they went that extra mile: fun mirrors, real soap, plants, a state-of-the-art urinal, and air fresheners. Another word might be "pleasant," but let's not get carried away.
Where Pizza Pan really shines is its menu. We're talking deep dish. We're talking large pizza with three toppings for $10. We're talking ten or more specialty items. Three features especially stand out. To begin with, Pizza Pan really seems to be trying to cater to college students. With your ONU ID you can pick up a medium-sized one-topping pizza for $3.99 - a better deal than even Little Caesars if you're willing to wait. Next, Pizza Pan offers second and third pizzas at a discount price. True, it's not really getting a "free pizza," like their advertisements claim, but the cost is nearly equivalent when buying multiples. Lastly, the menu is well organized. It is easy to find what you want, and that's a plus when you're starving to death because you haven't eaten in an hour.
Our food came in about 25 minutes. It came in a box. It came with a fox. It came wearing socks. Minus the fox part. And the socks. But the box part is for real. Really real. So real, it's box real. We're guessing they mostly serve takeout. As our server walked away, he turned around, cocked his head inquisitively, and queried, "Plates?" He subsequently brought us two Styrofoam plates. Our server then walked as far as the counter before he turned around again. "Forks?" We decided to help the guy out and got up to get ourselves some plastic forks and knives and some napkins. To their credit, one of the servers brought us two kinds of cheeses: regular and EXTRA GOOD! (extra good! - adjective, pertaining to a profane helping of garlic). Anyway, the pizza. We liked it :) It was a little on the greasy side and the crust a little crunchy, but that didn't stop us from polishing off the whole thing. There was a healthy heaping of both chicken and bacon, and we really enjoyed the barbecue sauce. Definitely delicious and smile-inducing. We finished our meal with a free sample of gelato, courtesy of our hosts.
So how did Pizza Pan hold up to our incredibly accurate and well-thought-out rating system?
Atmosphere (location, theme, vibe): 2/5
Cleanliness (bathrooms, table settings, furnishings): 3/5
Menu (variety, dining options, cost): 5/5
Food (taste, quality, value): 4/5
Service (friendliness, efficiency, helpfulness): 4/5
Total: 18/25 - Recommended!
Pizza Pan is a family-owned, family-friendly restaurant that you can tell is the product of a lot of pride and love. Although we're not sure that dining-in is your best option here, the variety and value offered by the menu makes this a great place from which to pick up dinner. If you want to find out more or give Pizza Pan your own review, check out their information and website below. Thanks for reading! Until next month - YOEPOAM!
Pizza Pan
481 South Main
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
815-939-1234
Website: Pizza Pan
