Pie Five Brings Fast-Casual Pizza Concept To Skokie

As a reporter always on the run covering news in nine communities on the North Shore, I don’t find too many opportunities to lounge around and shave off a few hours at a fancy restaurant.

Lunch breaks need to be in and out. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy my favorite food while on the run.

ALSO ON SKOKIE PATCH: Skokie Farmer’s Market Opens June 14

Now, thanks to the relatively new fast-casual pizza concept and the addition of a Pie Five Pizza location in Skokie, that’s possible.

Pie Five, which opened less than a month ago for the first time outside Dallas with locations in Skokie, Naperville and Schaumburg, assures you’ll get your pizza in five minutes from the time you order.

“It only takes two and a half minutes to cook, so even when there is a line you will have no problem making it in time for your lunch break with some extra time to spare,” said Nicole Roberts, manager of the restaurant in Skokie.

ALSO ON SKOKIE PATCH: Skokie Woman Who Hit Illinois Lottery Jackpot Wants to Buy House

The pizzas are made in a system similar to how sub sandwiches are made at Subway and other restaurants. Come in the shop, tell the pizza makers what sauce and toppings you want and you watch them work their magic. With a lightning fast oven, you’ll have your pie well before you finish checking out the latest from your Facebook news feed.

Another attractive Pie Five feature is the price. A personal pizza is $6.99, whether you want just cheese on it or prefer loading it up with several toppings.

ALSO ON SKOKIE PATCH: Hospitals in Skokie and Evanston Ranked Above Average

“That makes this one really special for the true pizza lovers,” District Manager Alex Zepeda said.

Bundle a pizza with a side salad a drink, and you have a full meal for $10.

Anyone - even the most passionate pizza critics in the Windy City - would marvel at the freshness of the ingredients and crisp taste the pies have to offer.

ALSO ON SKOKIE PATCH: Luxury Home Sales Rising in Chicagoland

Even if you aren’t always “on the run,” Pie Five is still the place. The dining area is plentiful and clean with free WI-FI offered to every customer. Have a pizza and if you have time, come hang out.

“It’s a laid back atmosphere where guests can feel they are in their own home or the home of a friend,” said Roberts. “We give you that upscale environment without the negative connotation of a white table cloth.”

Make sure to get a unique soft drink to go with the pizza from Pie Five’s soda machine, which offers 146 different flavors through combinations of well known Coca-Cola brands.

“Just like how you combine yellow and blue to make green - you can combine two drinks to make another one,” Zepeda said.

ALSO ON SKOKIE PATCH: 102-Year-Old Cantor Honored at Convention

Zepeda and Roberts are both new to Pie Five and Chicago based. So they know the market for pizzas in this city and how serious natives are when it comes to it.

“It’s very competitive, but the concept is so different that we feel this is a great market for it,” Zepeda said.

The first three Chicagoland locations have worked out so well, that another trio - joints in Algonquin, Elmhurst and Palatine - are set to open in June. Future plans are for another North Shore location to open in either Glenview or Northbrook before the end of the year.

Located just across the road from Lincolnwood, Pie Five sits in a shopping district with various new options for food and retail. Anchored by the new Mariano’s, Zepeda says the increased revenue in the area is a good thing for all business.

“We’re new to the area and learning,” he said. “We expect more and more people to come in and try the pizza and come back again.”