PIZZA WITH A POP

Springfield is a pretty big deal, which is why Godfather’s Pizza decided to test a new product here and in Chatham, Decatur and Pekin. The nationwide pizza chain rolled out its new pretzel-crusted pizza on Dec. 1, exclusively at the franchises owned by entrepreneurs Mike Monseur and John Leskovisek of Springfield. Monseur says he and John have both always liked pretzel buns and pretzel bread, so they asked headquarters to come up with a pretzel crust for their pizza. The specialty crust will be available here for about six months, Monseur says, and then they’ll recommend whether to release the product nationwide. The Godfather’s at 1549 South Dirksen Parkway is actually the company’s second oldest franchise after their Pekin location, according to Monseur, so it’s fitting that it will be a test market for the whole nation. Godfather’s Pizza started in 1973 and has 600 locations in 40 states.

This article appears in Dec 4-10, 2014.