Pizza For U In Channahon Remains A Community Favorite: Town Traditions

CHANNAHON, IL — Pizza restaurants come and go all the time, yet Pizza For U has been a fixture in Channahon for decades now.

"I'm the general manager at this store, and I've been managing since high school. This was the first one," remarked Steven Flynn, who said the Channahon Pizza For U opened around 1992. "I think it's the staff on the inside. Us giving a homey or neighborly kind of feeling. I chit-chat with everybody now and then."

Channahon's Pizza For U is now open seven days a week, at urging Flynn's suggestion, now that employee staffing is back to acceptable levels. He's open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Pizza For U offers a delivery service. Flynn will send his drivers as far as Hollywood Road in Joliet, near the Hollywood Casino.

He has a number of large companies that are regular, including Exxon-Mobil refinery along Interstate 55, Joliet's new Lion Electric school bus manufacturing plant on Youngs Road and the Stepan Company near Elwood.

These days, people around Will County can find a Pizza For U restaurant in Manhattan, Shorewood, Joliet and Channahon — it's the one in Channahon that is special for Flynn.

What would Flynn recommend for a first-time customer?

"Aside from the beef pockets, which everybody is addicted to, and I would probably say, it's very delicious, is the Italian pizza. If you like beef, that is on there as well as garlic pizza sauce with pepperoni, salami, ham and sausage. People do like it, they just don't order it as often. It's like all your Italian meats but on a pizza."

While the restaurant might be named Pizza For U, Flynn said many of his most popular menu items aren't pizza at all.

"The sandwiches," he said. "The half-pound burger is actually pretty good I would try to twist their arm on the half-pound burger first," Flynn said. "Otherwise, with something else, the pocket is always a good go-to."

According to the menu, the "Pockets For U" are available in 6 inches, 12 inches and 16 inches. Your choices are:

• Classic Pockets: beef, ham, veggie or chicken;
• Buffalo Chicken Pocket: white garlic sauce, buffalo chicken, bacon, mozzarella and cheddar blend;
• Gyro Pocket: filled with mozzarella and a hint of feta cheese
• Pizza Pocket: sauce and cheese.
• Pizza For U offers a party size Beef Pocket, 16 inches round, for $49.99.

There are about a dozen different menu options on the Sandwich menu including: Italian beef with au jus; Italian sausage patty, half-pound cheeseburger; poorboy steak sandwich; toasted Italian melt; meatball marinara, gyro and a hotdog basket.

For pizzas, you can go with thin or pan cheese. There's a stuffed pizza and even a double dough.

Flynn said Pizza For U has not made any huge menu changes recently.

"We keep it pretty solid for the most part," he said. "We've had to update the price menu for obvious reasons. Weekdays are typically a little slow, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday kind of peaks."

The Channahon Pizza For U is across the street from Pioneer Path Elementary School.

Flynn said Pizza For U has always remained a locally owned and family operated pizza restaurant. Manhattan is the newest location. The Joliet restaurant on Larkin Avenue is the only sit-down restaurant, although Flynn points out that he has two separate tables with eight chairs in total.

And sure enough, during Patch's interview with Flynn on Monday afternoon, two women sat down at one of the tables to eat their lunch.

Flynn said Brad Hansen and his brother started the Pizza For U chain in the early 1990s.

How did Flynn wind up running the Channahon Pizza For U?

Flynn said his family moved to Channahon from Peoria because his father became the general manager for the old Bob Evans restaurant in Joliet in Larkin Avenue. Flynn attended Minooka Community High School and graduated in the Class of 2011.

Flynn admits he likes to make some weird pizza combinations.

"If it's for myself, pepperoni, pineapple and jalapeño," he said. "One guy, I made a pizza burger for. I like to kind of cater to people when they come in. If you want it super saucy, I will make it super saucy."

Patch asked what else makes Pizza For U special in the Channahon and Minooka area?.

"We do a lot of stuff in the community," Flynn said.

He showed Patch several photos of pizza delivery boxes that the Minooka elementary students decorated for class.

This week, his store windows are decorated in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

"My staff likes to decorate for the holidays," Flynn said. "Christmas, we have the most decorations for. Halloween is our busiest time of year. We have Dollinger's Family Farm, and the pizza for the Minooka football games and also the fests."

To order carryout from the Channahon Pizza for U, the phone number is 815-467-4344.