Norton House of Pizza Handing Down the Generations

Nick Anifantis’ father and uncle started the Norton House of Pizza more than 40 years ago, and now he’s getting ready to continue the tradition.

“They’re in their 60s and they’re heading towards retirement,” he said. “I’ll be taking over.”

Anifantis first started at the shop when he was 12, sweeping the floor and putting pizza boxes together. He first started cooking when he was 14.

“It was fun at the time, if a little demanding on a 14-year-old,” he said. “I learned a lot from my father and uncle.”

Anifantis is originally from Norton, growing up in town and went to Norton High School. His father and uncle grew up far away, though.

“They migrated from Greece in 1970 and started working in factories in Worcester,” he said. “They had the opportunity to buy this place from a distant relative.”

Originally the building was a house in which they ran a small pizza shop. The business grew from local children and the Wheaton crowd.

“Wheaton didn’t have a cafeteria back then,” he said. “We also had a video game room and all the kids would come in afterschool, get pizza and play.”

Because of the school’s lack of food service, they were one of the first places in the area to deliver.

“We had three guys running back and forth all the time,” he said.

Anifantis' father and uncle also ran a full restaurant called Elegant Pub.

“They served breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. “But it was too many hours. They’d open in the morning and close up around 1:30 a.m., go home for a few hours of sleep and do it all over again. They were crazy.”

In 1988, they tore the building down and built a strip mall.

“It expanded over the years,” he said.

Anifantis has been at Norton House of Pizza, with the exception of his stint in college, since he was 12. He said it helped him to really connect with the people coming in.

“Probably 90 percent of my customers walk in and I already know their order without asking,” he said. “I see kids coming in now in their mid 20s, and I remember them coming in with their parents.”

Anifantis said he, his father and uncle do their best to give back to the community that helped them prosper.

“All our charities, we try to keep them all in Norton,” he said. 

Norton House of Pizza is located at 57 West Main St. and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.