This legendary Missouri pizza joint closed in 2017 but is about to be reborn in Wichita
What Angelo’s is to Wichita, what Pizza John’s is to Derby — that’s what Pizza Kwik was to Jefferson City, Missouri.
The little pizza parlor was opened by Bob Huber in 1969, and it was an institution in the town, which is the Missouri state capital. All the students from nearby Lincoln University went there, and the townies loved it, too.
But the owner, lovingly nicknamed “Greasy Bob” by his customers, died in July 2015. His widow, Judy, and his children kept it going until Dec. 23, 2017, when it closed — much to the vocal anguish of the town.
Now, Pizza Kwik is about to get new life in Wichita.
Huber’s daughter, Dana Huber-Plummer, and her son, Sam, are about to open a Pizza Kwik food truck in Wichita, and they hope to have it ready by Oct. 1. On board, it will have gas ovens just like the restaurant had, and it will use the restaurant’s old recipes to make the exact thin-and-crispy pizzas Jefferson City loved.
So why Wichita?
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Dana is the wife of Gary Plummer, who in 2011 was hired to become the president of CEO of the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. The Plummers have lived in Wichita ever since.
But Dana, who grew up working at Pizza Kwik, always harbored dreams of reviving her family’s business. Many times over the years, she’s thought about opening a Pizza Kwik in Wichita — and a brick-and-mortar restaurant is something she could see happening in the future, she said.
For now, she’s partnering with her son, Sam, who graduated two years ago from Missouri State University, to open a Pizza Kwik truck.
“He’s always wanted to own his own business,” Dana said. “He and I have been talking about it for quite some time and decided that, due to the economy, a food truck might be a great solution.”
They finally found their truck — actually, a pull-behind trailer — in Denver, and they’ll pick it up on Monday. They’ll take it in to have some work done and prepare to hit the streets of Wichita. Mother and son are still deciding where they’ll set the truck up, but they plan to be open for lunch and will keep some late-night hours as well.
The population of Jefferson City has already learned about the plan, and the restaurant’s former fans are not thrilled that Wichita will be the truck’s home base. They were placated, though, when Dana and Sam promised they’d regularly take the truck to Jefferson City and set up there, too.
“They are super excited,” she said. “We really have this cult following.”
Dana said that her other son, Ethan, also will work on the truck and that her mom, Judy, has been involved, too. Judy is who developed the original recipes for the restaurant, including the one for Pizza Kwik’s famous tuna pizza, which was topped with canned tuna and cheese and was oddly popular, Dana said, especially during Lent.
The truck will offer most standard pizza toppings, she said, and her favorite was always the sausage and mushroom. The crust is St. Louis-style, which is thin and crispy, and just like the restaurant, the truck will use its own homemade sauce and seasoning mixes.
Dana said she and Sam will be able to make the pizzas from the truck taste exactly like they did at the restaurant.
Her father was her best friend, Dana said, and she knows he’d be happy about his family reviving his dream.
“He would be bragging to everyone,” she said. “He would be overjoyed.”
Stay tuned for more information about Pizza Kwik as opening day gets closer.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 2:28 PM.
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