Old Town Pizza Co. Reopening as Wooden Paddle Pizza

Jonathan and Brianna Cowan have been looking for ways to make their business unique, since opening an Old Town Pizza Co. franchise in Orland Park.

Old Town Pizza Co. at 11128 W 179th St is now closed while the Cowans renovate their business and take a giant leap toward that goal. On July 17, they will reopen their own carryout and delivery pizzeria as an entirely new restaurant: Wooden Paddle Pizza.

For the grand opening, Wooden Paddle will be giving as many as 1,000 pizzas away on July 17. The first 25 people in get free pizza for a year, and other giveaways are planned.

“People already told me they’ll be camped out before we open,” Jonathan Cowan said. 

Wooden Paddle will also collect change from patrons and donate 100 percent of the collected money to the Bridge Teen Center.

“You come in and your order will be done in about five minutes,” said Jonathan Cowan, about how the new restaurant will function. “Similar to Chipotle and Potbelly, you will order in a step process.”

Customers will first select a crust, the choices being white, wheat or gluten free, followed by a sauce, cheese and then toppings. The made-to-order pizza will then be placed on a stone and will move through an 800-degree temperature conveyor oven, cooking the pizza in two minutes, Cowan said.

Along with tomato sauce, patrons can also choose a roasted vegetable sauce, which includes a medley of seven vegetables that are roasted and pureed.

“It’s a way to get your kids eating more vegetables,” Jonathan Cowan said. “It’ll still look and taste like pizza. But it’s not just for kids. It’s for anyone trying to eat healthier.”

Cheese choices include whole milk mozzarella, part skim mozzarella, a provolone and mozzarella blend, fontina cheese and a mozzarella-style vegan cheese.

“One of our employees dates a girl who has Celiac and is lactose intolerant and she now has an option at our pizzeria,” Jonathan Cowan said. “Up until now she could only eat one of our salads.”

The pizzeria will offer toppings such as artichoke hearts, arugula, prosciutto, egg, meatballs, roasted peppers, pepperoni, applewood-smoked bacon, fresh garlic, roast beef, giardiniera and specialty herbs that will be grown in house along an herb wall.

“We’ve been learning a lot of cool things about growing plants vertically,” Jonathan Cowan said. “It gives the place a real fresh feel when you walk in.”

Wooden Paddle also plans to incorporate fresh herbs into desserts as well, including a basil gelato.   

Read the entire menu in the attached files above.

Philanthropy has always been part of the Cowans’ business plan, which will continue at Wooden Paddle. They are working to set up an ongoing food donation plan with South Suburban PADS, where for every large pizza sold, a slice will go toward a food donation at the end of each month. 

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