We had the good fortune of connecting with Rocky and Jon Petway and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Rocky and Jon, what do you attribute your success to?
We opened State Street smack dab in the middle of the Covid pandemic. We definitely took a risk, but i think the most important factor behind our success is our community! Decatur is a small town, and they took us in with open arms! They really wanted a great pizza place that had the same small town feel as Wise County. I feel like we have accomplished just that. We received “Best Pizza in Wise County” after being open for only 2 months!
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I think what sets us apart from the other mom-and-pop businesses around the area is our product. We make the majority of our items from scratch including our dough, sauces, and dressings. We cut all of our veggies fresh daily. My belief is that if you don’t have a stellar product, you will not survive in the restaurant business. Families have WAY too many options out there and you have to be the best of the best to set yourself above the rest. My husband Jon and I have been in restaurants since we were teenagers, so we know what it takes. Owning your own restaurant (or business for that matter) is one of the most challenging careers there is. It takes risk, countless hours, and great work ethic to build a brand from scratch. At the end of the day, you have to keep moving forward and always know that there’s tomorrow to improve yourself and your restaurant!
Jon and I met about 13 years ago while working together at a well know restaurant chain and fell in love. We make a great team and both have great work ethic, and I think that’s why our restaurant has made it. We agreed before we opened State Street Pizza Co, we were not doing this to get rich quick. We wanted to hire great people, pay them well, and create a family-like atmosphere.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Decatur Town Square>>Historic Courthouse
Museum
Chocolate Factory
Lake Bridgeport
Grasslands
Fair Grounds>>Reunion
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Recognition defiantly needs to go to the great staff we have at State Street Pizza. We have been blessed with great members of the community working coming in and working hard to help us grow our brand each and every day. We would also like to shout out to our family. Running a restaurant takes a lot of time, and we wouldn’t be able to do so without the support of our children, Zane and Arianna, and our other family members.
Website: statestreetpizzacompany.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statestreetpizzaco/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StateStreetPizzaCo/