Pizza King dining room reopens

Laurie Hardwick, Beau Battain, Patti Harmless, Mayor Sue Murray, Pizza King manager Susie Watjen, staff member Corey Duff, assistant manager Gary Masten, staff member Katie Elkins, and Chamber representatives Bonnie Hanlon, Amber Bowers, Therese Cunningham, Traci Maynard, Dan Dobson with Daniel Builders and Josh Richardson helped celebrate the grand opening of the new dining room at Sorrento's Italian Restaurant and Pizza King recently.

GREENCASTLE -- When Greencastle Pizza King founder John Purvis died in early January, employees of the local restaurant wanted the newly designed and recently opened dining room to be a tribute to him.

The beautiful Italian décor and new menu items reflect the Sorrento restaurant that Purvis enjoyed.

Local residents got a look and a taste of the menu at Sorrento's Italian Restaurant/Pizza King last Wednesday at a ribbon cutting event at the well-loved eating spot located at 400 S. Bloomington Street in Greencastle.

The Pizza King restaurant closed in July 2008 after it sustained extensive storm damage. They reopened in March 2009 without the dining room.

Watjen

"It's taken a while to get things back, but I think it's been worth it," said store manager Susie Watjen.

The new dining room is classified as casual dining.

"We've added four new entrees to the menu. They are chicken marsala, chicken parmesan, pasta bruschetta naturale and ravioli formaggio grande. They are some new appetizers as well," said Watjen.

They still offer all the Pizza King items such as pizza, breadsticks, calzones, strombolis and other sandwich items as well as salads. Appetizers include Pompei bread, mozzarella cheese sticks, mushrooms di farcito and bruschetta.

The restaurant also plans to have beer and wine soon.

The new dining room has warm red paneling and golden walls, tile floors, dark red booths, black tables and faux Italianate columns dividing the dining room.

"Marlon Humprey, the Crawfordsville manager and company C.O.O., was instrumental in doing a lot of the work. All the employees here helped with painting and all kinds of things," said Watjen.

Many of the staff of the Greencastle store have been employed for a number of years.

"Our assistant manager Gary Masten has been here for eight years and another employee for nine years," added Watjen.

Purvis started this business in 1956. They are part of a chain with restaurants in Greencastle, Attica, West Lafayette and Crawfordsville.

Hours for Sorrento's Italian Restaurant/Pizza King dining room are from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Take out and delivery hours are one hour longer each night.

They can be reached at 653-3184.