Outpost Pizza Reopens In Westport After Destructive Crash

WESTPORT, CT — When Outpost Pizza owner Joe Dedovic opened the doors to his Westport pizzeria this week, he received "nothing but love" from customers, many of whom had been eagerly waiting over a month to pick up a hot, fresh pie.

Monday marked the first day Outpost Pizza has been open for business since late June, when a vehicle struck the Main Street building around 3 a.m., forcing the business to shut down and make repairs. At the time of the incident, Assistant Building Official Peter Howard said the damage was "substantial but repairable."

"Everybody told us [Monday] how much they missed us," Dedovic said, "how much they appreciated our pizza and realized what an asset we are to the community and to their stomachs. Overall, it felt great. We were welcomed with open arms."

First Selectman Jim Marpe said he was happy to see Outpost Pizza successfully complete their repairs and re-open quickly given the extensive damage to their building.

"When I participated in the original opening," Marpe said, "I noted what a great addition they were to their neighborhood and to the overall town, and they quickly became a go-to place for pizza. Our town departments are committed to helping businesses open, and re-open, as quickly and safely as possible, and this is another example of delivering on that commitment."

Dedovic initially hoped to re-open the pizzeria, which also has a location in Stamford, a couple weeks after the crash, but delays forced him to keep the doors closed for over a month. While the pizzeria is still adjusting some things, Dedovic said it feels great just to be open again.

"We're doing very well," Dedovic said. "We're getting our stride back and we're hoping by the end of the week that we're at 100 percent again, as if nothing ever happened or changed."

According to Dedovic, Outpost has seen a steady flow of business since reopening Monday, and the team is already planning for a busy weekend. Dedovic anticipates Friday and Saturday will be particularly busy, and he plans to overstaff the restaurant to ensure their first weekend back in action runs smoothly.

"Hopefully we can accommodate everybody and make everyone as happy as possible," Dedovic said, "and get the food out as fast as possible."

In July, Dedovic told Patch reopening the Westport location was like starting all over.

"It's pretty much like starting from scratch again, to be quite honest," Dedovic said. "It's back to the advertisement, getting to the reopening, organizing, prepping, cleaning, letting people know that we're open again."

One thing that helped him through this difficult period was the support the community showed him. Now that Outpost has finally reopened, Dedovic said he is even more overwhelmed by the town's support, love and recognition.

"I really feel like we're part of the community," Dedovic said." I don't feel [like] so much of an outsider anymore, like the new guy. I feel like we're going to become a staple in this neighborhood."

Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce president Matthew Mandell also celebrated the pizzeria's reopening and noted the difficulty of the task after a hard year due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

"Coming on the heels of COVID-19, the car accident really was a double whammy," Mandell said. "It's great to see them back in business."

Dedovic is currently hiring for some key positions at the Westport restaurant, including cashiers, drivers and kitchen staff. Anyone interested is encouraged to apply.

"We're excited to get back to where we were," Dedovic said, "and honestly just try to make the best food we possibly can and give the town the best service that we possibly can."