6 days Ago
In a 1968 photo of Pizza by Alex, owner Stephanie Mantis points out a counter that still exists today. “We haven’t touched the space,” she said, speaking about its vintage decor. “Like, ever.
” Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald Part of the appeal of Pizza by Alex, Biddeford’s 65-year-old landmark pizzeria, is that it’s the only place in town for New England Greek-style, pan-baked pizza, which they top with cheddar cheese instead of the standard mozzarella. But a big reason the family business is close to many locals’ hearts comes down to pure nostalgia. “We haven’t touched the space.
Like, ever,” says Stephanie Mantis (grandniece and goddaughter of founder Alex Mantis), who has run the Alfred Road shop for the last five years. She points to the original floor tiles, the custom wood wall paneling installed when the restaurant first moved there from down the street in 1968, and the paintings Alex brought back from his regular trips to Las Vegas. “What we offer that’s different from any other place in town is consistency and memory.
When you keep the external place the same and the product is the same, people relax and they just feel good.” “It hasn’t changed in the 50 years I’ve been going there,” said Janet Kelley of Westbrook, a Biddeford native who eats there once a week. “That’s part of the appeal.
When my husband and I first got married, I was able to say ‘See that seat over there? That’s where I used to sit.’ It brings back such good memories for me, and a nice homey feeling.” What has changed over the years, though, is Biddeford’s overall pizza scene.
By Mantis’ estimate, the number of pizzerias in town has nearly tripled since 2010. Local staples like TJ’s Pizza, Louis Pizza and Biddeford House of Pizza closed in the last few years, and the town also lost the wood-fired pies from Blaze Brewing Company when they shut down their taproom and kitchen earlier this year. Still, Biddeford today has at least nine pizzerias and restaurants specializing in pizza, giving the city about twice as many per capita as Portland .
Slice Pizza is Biddeford’s latest pizza place, offering giant New York-style slices and open only at night. Is Biddeford becoming Maine’s pizza capital? Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland “What’s great is there’s such variety to choose from, depending on what you’re in the mood for,” said Daniela Amieva, one half of the local food Instagram account BiddoFoodies. The town has Neapolitan-style pies from Coletti’s Pizza Factory, flavored-crust pan pizzas from Portland Pie Company and ginormous New York-style wedges from Slice, downtown Biddeford’s newest pizzeria, launched last December.
There are also New England chains like Otto’s, national chains such as Domino’s and Papa John’s, and regional restaurant groups that offer pizza among their specialties like Amato’s and Brickyard Hollow Brewing Company. Chris Daniels, chef-owner of Peng’s Pizza Pies on Main Street, thinks Biddeford has developed a reputation for its pizza, noting that a number of local pizzerias have been praised on the popular Facebook site Pizzaholics. “It’s nice to be known as a pizza town, and to be part of it,” he said.
Owner Alex Markakis, right, chats with customers at Slice Pizza, Biddeford’s newest pizza place, in mid-March. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald A LOW OVERHEAD BUSINESS Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the country, of course, eaten at least once a week by 41 percent of Americans, according to the industry publication Pizza Today. Their data also shows that the number of pizza restaurants nationwide has ticked up about 1 percent from about 72,000 in 2020 to more than 74,000 in 2024, a growth rate that Biddeford has outpaced.
A number of factors explain how the town came into its wealth of pizza options, starting with its core demographics. “Biddeford is a really young town,” said Daniels, who opened Peng’s in 2023, one of four pizzerias within walking distance of each other downtown. “It has one of the youngest median ages in Maine, and that helps.
” Slice co-owner Alex Markakis said he and his business partner decided Slice — open only at night and until 1 a.m. on Fridays at Saturdays — would target the young crowd in search of late-night munchies.
When they opened the original Cowbell Burger Bar on Main Street in 2016, downtown Biddeford was far less lively. “I never saw people walking their dogs downtown at 10 o’clock at night,” he said. “Now there are these young professionals out at 9 and 10, and it’s great to see.
” Portland Pie Company District Manager Gerard Murphy noted that pizza is an attractive, budget-friendly meal choice for students, young families and blue collar workers, all of which the town has in abundance. It helps, too, that commercial leases here are less expensive than in Portland. But restaurant owners say they also find the town unusually hospitable to small businesses.
“They’re really business-friendly,” said Brendon Medeiros, owner of Brickyard Hollow’s Biddeford franchise and vice president of operations for the company. His restaurant launched last summer. “I’m just amazed by how much Biddeford has done to stimulate local business.
I haven’t really seen anything like that. Biddeford is special in that sense.” The town has indeed undergone a commercial renaissance in the new millennium.
Delilah Poupore, executive director of the downtown revitalization organization Heart of Biddeford, said 14 years ago, there were 27 vacant storefronts on Main Street, amounting to more than a quarter of the total commercial space. Today, just three or four spaces stand empty. “We have so many pizzerias for a number of reasons, one of which is economic,” Mantis said.
“It’s a very low overhead business. I think the owners know a pizza model is manageable. And it’s possible they look at places like us and go, ‘Well if they’re moving as many pizzas as we think they are, clearly there’s a market.
'” “The cost of a pizza concept seems to be most manageable compared to the costs of our other concepts,” agreed Markakis, who also co-owns three locations of Cowbell, along with the bars 5 Dollar Finn’s and The Martini Bar, which flank Slice on either side. Economics matter for customers, too. At a time when disposable income is at a premium, pizza delivers plenty of bang for their bucks.
Biddeford resident Mason Soto said he likes that he can get one extra-large piece of pizza at Slice for a dinner well under $10. “It’s nice because nowadays, you’re definitely spending between $10 and $15, sometimes $20 for a good meal,” he said. “We start at $4.
75 for an unusually large slice of pizza,” Markakis said. “It’s definitely affordable, and people are shopping based on costs nowadays.” Diane Martin, center, talks with Claudette Boudreau, right in pink, as they have lunch with their friends at Pizza by Alex in Biddeford in March.
The women said when they were in high school in the 1960s, they often ate at Pizza by Alex. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald ROOM FOR MORE? Of course, Biddeford’s bounty of pizza has its potential downside for the pizzeria owners: As the number of local pizzerias grows, slices of the profit pie may shrink for some. “We’re seeing that in terms of pizza, right now their numbers of pies sold are not increasing, despite the fact that we’re seeing more of those restaurants,” Poupore said, noting that the town is seeing a similar dynamic with its many coffee and pastry shops.
Mantis said in recent years, Pizza by Alex has taken a slight hit in their number of pies sold. But because they’ve implemented small, steady price hikes and introduced new products like branded merchandise and locally baked whoopie pies, their overall sales figures have remained steady. Mantis added that on about 12 days of the year, like Mother’s and Father’s Days, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving, Alex’s pie counts are as robust as their historical norms.
“So that tells me when people come home, or when there is a family gathering or celebration, people are coming here for a taste of their childhood,” she said. Coletti’s owner Frank Coletti boxes up a pepperoni and bacon pizza in this archive photo from 2023. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald Other places, like Coletti’s, said the growing pizza market has helped them to thrive.
“The more (pizzerias) that come in town, the more business I get,” said chef-owner Francesco “Frank” Coletti, noting that his year-over-year sales numbers from a recent week in March were up 35 percent. “I love competition. We’re doing summertime numbers right now.
” “We welcome new businesses in any one of our markets, because it attracts more people,” Markakis said. “The more the merrier.” “Competition is great, and it gives people an option,” said Pizza by Alex General Manager Craig Cote.
“We’re not going to be the place for everyone, but there are enough options here in Biddeford, before we even get into Saco, that will satisfy everyone’s taste.” Still, hardcore pizza aficionados might say Biddeford has some holes in its pizza offerings. Some residents would love to see a deep-dish joint or a Sicilian- or Roman-style pizzeria added to the mix.
But can the town sustain even more pizza restaurants? “I know there are a lot of people who say, ‘How many pizza places can we have?'” said Emma Bouthillette, Biddeford native and author of “A Brief History of Biddeford.” “There’s probably a point of market saturation, but because each of these places is so different, I think if done right, there certainly could be opportunity to have even more.” “There’s room for more,” Daniels said.
“But trying to staff new pizzerias could be difficult. That’s been our biggest hardship, trying to find staff. And it’s hard to draw people from Portland to come work here, where there’s an abundance of jobs in Portland.
” “I think more (pizza) competition will drive out the less successful places,” Mantis said. “And I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but that’s generally how it goes. There’s always room for something different, but add to the conversation in your own voice.
” Mason Soto of Biddeford bites into a giant New York-style slice at Slice Pizza. He hopes to test his own pizza concept in Old Orchard Beach this summer, specializing in pizza cones. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald A new voice may soon be piping up.
Soto hopes to launch his own pizza business in Biddeford eventually, selling pizza cones — cone-shaped sourdough crust stuffed with sauce and toppings — he’ll be testing out the trending concept this summer in Old Orchard Beach. “You can eat it with a spoon or carry it with you like an ice cream cone,” Soto said. “Everyone likes pizza, so I’m like, ‘Let’s put a little twist on it.
'” Though competition is growing in Biddeford’s pizza niche, it’s hardly a cutthroat environment. “We all root for each other to do well,” Medeiros said. The support extends even to buying each other’s products.
“Just the other day I had a Peng’s pie brought here,” Mantis said. “I don’t think there’s anything bad about supporting who’s in your neighborhood.” “When I want a pizza snack, I go to Pizza By Alex,” Markakis said.
“They do what they do very well.” “We see Alex’s name on caller ID every week,” Cote chuckled. The iconic sign for Pizza by Alex in Biddeford.
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