Eagle makes number fifteen for the Idaho based company.
By Nicole Sharp
Photography by John Webster
Just when you thought Eagle couldn’t get any better when it comes to choices in dining out, Idaho Pizza Company is coming to town.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and chat with owner Candy Coltrin at their new location in the delightful outdoor dining area, which is perfect for the warm summer months. Coltrin has been in the pizza business for the past 25 years and she adores it.
“I love this job. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it,” she says.
She still takes time out of her busy schedule every day to roll out pizzas, simply because she likes to do it. Coltrin worked for years with Don Cantrell, the original developer of Idaho Pizza Company. Cantrell started as a busboy and worked his way up to owning his own franchise. Eventually, after many successful years as a franchise owner, he decided to start his own franchise, which became Idaho Pizza Company. He opened the doors in 1998 with great success.
Coltrin and her husband Todd have opened four Idaho Pizza Company franchises since 2001. The Eagle location will be their fifth. If this diligent couple weren’t busy enough, they also have two concession trailers that you’ve probably seen around town serving at different events.
Coltrin and her husbands are excellent examples of Idaho business owners making a difference. Did you know that Idaho Pizza Company, other than being locally owned and operated, is committed to using as many Idaho products as possible? The flour and cheeses used in their restaurants are all made in Idaho. Even the pizza boxes used are Idaho made.
For the past 16 years, Idaho Pizza Company has become a favored standard across the state. With 14 locations from Fruitland to Twin Falls, this is still a growing business. The Eagle location will be the 15th restaurant in the franchise when it opens, and a second Nampa location, coming soon, will tick that number one higher to 16.
When you step into an Idaho Pizza Company restaurant, you can tell you are in a proud Idaho-run company. The pizzas have names like The Sawtooth Special, The Treasure Valley, The Sun Valley Veggie, and, a customer favorite, The Idaho Supreme, with mozzarella, cheddar cheese, salami, pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, lingica (a smoke cured sausage) mushrooms, green peppers, onions and black olives. That’s more than a mouthful—on paper and in person.
There is more to this franchise than meets the eye, however. They also serve sandwiches which are made on their own fresh-baked bread. This bread is made each morning in store, every single day. They serve starters, desserts, have a great salad bar, and a lunch deal that rivals other larger, corporate chains. Each location makes home deliveries, and most of them have banquet rooms available.
This family-oriented restaurant tries to stand apart from other pizza chains by selling a quality product that they believe in, as well as striving for excellent customer service.
What does the future hold for Idaho Pizza Company? For one thing, they are working on a gluten free crust that will be out soon to expand their product base to even farther horizons. But more than that, the folks at IPC hope to continue to grow and give back to the community they serve.
Visit the Idaho Pizza Company at their new Eagle Location, which opens July 1st, and have a slice of delicious, purebred Idaho pizza. For more information you can go to www.idahopizzacompany.com, or do a search for “Idaho Pizza Company” to find them on Facebook and Twitter.
