Valentine’s Day Business Brings Much Needed Boost to Restaurants with Heart-Shaped Pizzas
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – If you are hoping to find love through food and gifts, there will be no shortage of choices or price ranges for the special day.
One of the most popular surprises does not necessarily come in a small box with a diamond, but instead in a large cardboard box. That’s where heart-shaped pizzas are served up.
Many locations are already making the special cut including Valentino’s Take ‘n Bake on Hollister Ave. near Modoc Road. For Valentino’s, they have been serving for 40 years and have had orders all week from hungry heart-shaped lovers who are ready to pick them up Saturday on Valentine’s Day.
That is when they will get the pink crust. Prior to that, the heart-shaped pizzas are available in the traditional crust.
The Santa Barbara Pizza House downtown, Rusty’s and several other locations are also crafting the pizza with a heart shape.
The owner of Valentino’s Take ‘n Bake Pizza Shayre Olive-Jones said, “I think Valentino’s has been doing pink heart shaped pizza’s for about 30 years. It is a family tradition in Santa Barbara. Many people have made their memories with it and and we look forward to it every year.”
That’s because the pizza’s will be made fresh and with cooking instructions, it will be a pay, grab and go flow. They are being set up in 15 minute slots to keep up with the demand.
Many families often include the kids in the Valentine’s day, heart-shaped love in the center of the table.
Olive-Jones said, “a lot of families do it together and then a lot of parents are still going out for that nice dinner in the evening and they get that pizza for their kids and have it special for them so they feel just as special for Valentine’s Day.”
They will do it all. Any size they make it will be shaped with love.
“All sizes, small, medium, or large or the extra large and we call it the mega. Any toppings or our combination pizza’s,” said Olive-Jones.
It’s a day they prepare for with extra help and a full eight hours of orders. “It is all hands on deck everyone who works here and all family comes in and helps. We want to make everyone’s Valentine’s Day special.”
If take and bake is not your choice you can go the traditional way with a pizza right out of the oven at the Santa Barbara Pizza House in downtown where they also have heart-shaped pizzas.
The owner Erin Khodabandehlou, says they are “hot, ready to go and at your table or pick up.”
It gets an immediate reaction when the customers see it coming out of the kitchen.
Khodabandehlou says, “they are excited!” The reaction is, ” oh so cute ! They are overwhelmed. That is what brings us pleasure.”
This is also an option for those who are living in a tighter budget and a larger sit down fancy restaurant dinner isn’t going to work this year.
She said, “it’s just like spreading love , spreading love with food. That’s the main thing. Something good for families, for a date night. You don’t have to spend $200. on a date night meal.”
Many restaurants are already getting booked for several seatings. Some are filling up early, on Friday night.
If pizza is not what you are craving, gift buyers are also seeking out shelves of clever cards, beauty products, and clothing lines, such as the Dylan Star boutique in the Funk Zone. There is a clearance sale underway that could be an added value. A pop-up with Zoe Magee of Zoe Bikini will take place Friday featuring the one-of-a-kind giant trucker hats with a large heart in the center.
The Farmer’s Market on Thursday in Carpinteria, Friday along Coast Village Road and Saturday in downtown Santa Barbara are expected to be among the busiest of the year for flowers. Some growers are coming in with extra trucks to meet the demand.
Restaurants offering heart-shaped menu items:
Rusty’s Pizza
Bettina’s
Topper’s Pizza
Ojai Pizza Company
California Pizza Kitchen
(partial list)
Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant – heart shaped taco trays with four tacos, rice, beans, choice of protein or Fajita Veggies.
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