
The same pizza that you remember from Del Carmenโs Pizza East will be served at a new restaurant opening next month, owner Val Potts said.ย
DECATUR โ Have you been craving the pizza from Del Carmenโs East since it burned down two years ago?
Relief is coming next month when a new restaurant opens on Decaturโs north side.
Val Potts is the daughter of the owners of the popular pizza restaurant that was destroyed in an arson fire in September 2016. She will be opening Del Carmenโs Pizza at 2855 N. Water St., Decatur, in mid-November.
โIt will have the same great pizza everyone is asking for,โ Potts said.
The menu will also consist of salad choices, Italian beef, bread sticks and individual lunch portions. Pizza will come in 8-inch, 12-inch, 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. Potts is hoping to add a gluten-free crust option for 10-inch pizzas.
The restaurant will feature carry-out for the customers. Dine-in seating is limited to 20 customers. โIt is a small location to start,โ Potts said.
The restaurant owner will be hiring staff through online applications at delcarmenspizza.com or during open interviews from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Decatur Civic Center.
In February, Larry and Martha Stanley, the owners of the former Del Carmenโs East, had appealed to the Decatur City Council for rezoning the previous restaurant on 22nd Street.
The Stanleys had plans to rebuild, but Martha Stanley said recently they have postponed any rebuilding plans for at least two years.
Potts has received advice and assistance from her parents in opening her restaurant. โQuality ingredients to get best pizza results,โ Potts said. โSo, you canโt change anything on the pizzas.โ
Potts has added a New York style brick oven to the kitchen. โI think it makes a crispier crust,โ she said.
Del Carmenโs Pizza may expand to other locations, but for now Potts is hoping the northside restaurant will satisfy the appetites of pizza lovers.
โOthers will hopefully try it who havenโt in the past,โ she said.
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G-B's records

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O'Charley's

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Planet Fitness

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BC Wings

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Waterfront Cafe

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R Bar & Grille

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Mister Softee

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Details: Scheduled to open in February 2018
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Baskin-Robbins

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Dog Haus

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Dog Haus

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Where:ย 4405 East U.S. 36
Details: Owners cite "unsustainable rent costs" as part of decision to close after just one year in operation. Read more here.
Solsa American Burrito Co.

Opening:ย Solsa American Burrito Co.
Where: 910 N. State Route 121, Mount Zion
When: September 2017
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Where:ย 1745 Village Parkway in Mount Zion
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Knockerball Max

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Where: Hickory Point Mallย
When: Fall 2017
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Where:ย 3190 N. Water St., Decatur
When: June 2017
Decanter Fine Wine & Spirits

The Wagon

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Ted's Taters

Closing: Ted's Taters
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Details: Owner Kendall Peterson said the restaurant will close Sept. 30. The adjacent CherryBerry restaurant will remain operational, although it is seasonal and closes in the winter.ย
Burger King

Management for the Burger King restaurant at 1195 E. Pershing Road in January 2019 posted signs on the doors announcing the business is permanently closed.
Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR