Wichitan who built a following with his sangria is now expanding into the food business
Though he doesn’t plan to change the name of his business, soon Brian Miller will no longer be selling Simply Sangria.
He’s about to get into the food business, too.
Miller, who expanded his growing sangria business into a kiosk on the upper level of Towne East Square in May of last year, recently moved it downstairs to the main food court counter briefly occupied in 2020 by ice cream business Gladspoon. He opened in the new space the day after Thanksgiving, and people can now buy not only his sangria and table wine by the bottle but also get free samples from his 14 different varieties.
Later this month, Miller said, he’ll start serving pizza from the counter, too. He’s contracted with Donna Italia, a pizza supplier that provides frozen, ready-to-bake pizzas complete with cheese and sauce. Customers order either a 9-inch or 12-inch pizza and can choose from 30 fresh toppings that are added before the pizza goes into a company-provided 700-degree oven to cook for three minutes.
A 9-inch pizza is $7.99, and a 12-inch is $9.99. Topping choices include things like pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, beef, onions and more. There’s also a pesto chicken pizza that Miller said is top-notch.
Miller said he came across the Donna Italia brand at a nightclub trade show in Las Vegas and was impressed.
“I went several times, tried it and loved it and thought, ‘This is as good as any pizza I’ve ever had.’”
He’ll also serve salads and charcuterie, he said. People can take their food into the food court or utilize a tiny seating area adjacent to the Simply Sangria counter.
He plans to start serving pizza on Jan. 18, when the main food court area will get a pizza option for the first time since Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen closed. (Towne East does have one other pizza option, though. Mary’s Pizza took over the Noodles & Company space on the upper level in the fall.)
Mall pizza and sangria aren’t Miller’s only plans, though.
He’s also preparing to expand his original shop at 243 N. Cleveland, which he opened as a retail outlet in March 2019.
The insurance agent to his north recently moved out, and Miller got 1,200 square feet of the vacant space. He’s in the process of remodeling and combining the new space with his original 2,600 square feet and will add a dining room, restrooms and an expanded production area.
Sometime over the next several months, he’ll start opening there for lunch Tuesdays through Saturdays and offer a different special each day, likely tacos on Tuesdays, Italian fare on Wednesdays, burgers on Thursdays and pizza on Fridays and Saturdays.
At the Cleveland location, diners also will be able to order sangria by the glass. Charcuterie will also be available there.
Miller, who had a career in law enforcement, started several years ago making his own sangria, which for the uninitiated is punch that features wine mixed with fruit and spices. His relatives told him he should bottle and sell it.
He started with three flavors — blackberry, tropical white flavored with pineapple and citrus, and classic white sans citrus but with six other fruits and spices — which he sold from his storefront and at the Old Town Farm & Art Market on Saturdays. Over the next several years, he came up with many more flavors and built a following.
“We have got a very loyal fan base,” Miller said. “The people that like us love us, and they send us customers, and then they come back time and time and time again.”
Miller sells his sangria for $18.50 a bottle and also offers red or white table wine for $17.50 to $22.50 a bottle.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 2:48 PM.
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