- April 18, 2024
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Joe Rizzo and Chris Zwirn
Owner Joe Rizzo cuts up dough with Pit Stop Pizza Manager Jesse Beatson. Photos by Jeff Dawsey
Woody’s famous Bar-B-Q, including its signature Baby Back Ribs.
When Chris Zwirn and Joe Rizzo became business partners at Woody’s BBQ three years ago, they had no idea that they would become owners of three other relevant restaurants in Flagler County.
Just over a year ago, Zwirn and Rizzo opened up Bull Creek Fish Camp in West Bunnell on the lake, and a few months ago, they partnered with local business leaders to revive the Topaz restaurant, now named Island Grille. Their recent venture, along with Trevor Tucker, is Pit Stop Pizza, also in West Bunnell.
“We thought it would be a cool name because this area has a lot of racing interest, and it’s kind of what it is, a pit stop on the way home,” Chris Zwirn said.
With Pit Stop Pizza, the Zwirn and Rizzo now run four diverse restaurant businesses of great significance in their communities.
“We didn’t think about that going into it, but that’s what it has turned into,” Zwirn said. “We’ve got the view on the beach with island Grille, Woody’s, being a staple in the community for 18 years, Bull Creek, which is out on the lake and now Pit Stop Pizza, which will deliver to local residents. There’s virtually no one who will deliver out there.”
When they opened Bull Creek, they fulfilled a need in West Bunnell, which Zwirn says has been overlooked for other areas. But, launching a second restaurant there, they hope to spearhead more development for that region.
“Whether there a lot of farms, or because there isn’t a lot of people, there’s just not much there for them for whatever reason,” he said.
One might wonder if the two ever eat at other places, having such restaurants where they can eat whatever they’d like. That is just the opposite. While Paul Rizzo admits that he eats at his joints 90% of the time, he made it clear that he has many favorites around Flagler County and will continue to support other food businesses.
“If you can’t support other restaurants, then they’re not going to support you,” Rizzo added. “This is about people supporting people.”
“You’ve gotta go to other places,” Zwirn added. “When you go out with one of your families, the byproduct of that is you get to see what other people are doing, and see if you can make that work with one of your concepts.”
Zwirn and Rizzo are partners with a range of other partners, separate with every restaurant. Those are the people they credit for helping them reach four restaurants in such a short time.
“We’re very fortunate and blessed to have gotten involved with the people we’ve gotten involved with,” Zwirn said. “We both try to surround ourselves with smart people.”
“You can’t do this without good people, so it’s an investment into good people. As far as Flagler County goes, our goal is to help put people to work here. If we can continue to do that little-by-little with these restaurants, then I’m glad we get to be a part of the deal.”
As long as we can make this a symbiotic relationship with the locals, then it will work.”
