Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – A conversation that started as friendly bantering between a business’s former owner and a customer turned into a business deal for one of the new owner of Rosella’s, located at 18 North St.
“I was a customer of Rosella’s when it was a nightly takeout on Academy St. I loved the spicy sauce and the variety of alternate pizzas available. Rudy Hoffert was the owner and one day he mentioned that he intended to move back to North Carolina. I had mentioned to him that with a little marketing and a better location, his business would soar,” said Sheldon Hyde, co-owner of Rosella’s.
Hyde began discussing the prospects for Hoffert’s business in January 2007. Talks evolved from there, with lighthearted banter turning to serious business.
“As a joke he said, ‘Sheldon, buy me out.’ I said, ‘Sure, why not – how much?’ I was kidding, he wasn’t,” explained Hyde. “To make a long story short, the joke became a reality. I agreed to buy him out and he agreed to stay long enough to pass all his secrets along.”
By mid-summer 2007, Hyde realized he’d possibly gotten in over his head.
“In late July, with our opening day in site, I realized that I might be in over my head a little as I work full time as a designer for Aroostook Trusses. To satisfy the need for good organization and leadership through the day and evenings, I took on a partner, Debbie Nelson,” said Hyde.
Hyde said Nelson has been a good friend of his for a long time and had expressed a lot of interest in Rosella’s as he remodeled and made plans through June and July of last year.
“She has an open mind and a lot of positive energy that compliments my own. Together we formed Hyde-Nelson LLC as joint owners of Rosella’s on opening day,” Hyde said.
According to Hyde, he and Nelson credit word of mouth for helping their business grow.
“We felt word of mouth could be our greatest friend and we were very correct. Business has grown at a steady pace,” said Hyde, noting he often mingles with patrons as a host, imitating an accent to suit the atmosphere.
“I often sport an Italian raspy accent, reminiscent of “The Godfather.” It makes people laugh,” said Hyde.
Word of mouth is paying off, with patrons continually telling the owners stories of where they first heard about the business.
“We cannot count how many of our customers have said, ‘Wow, I heard about you . . .,’ ‘My parents told me . . .,’ ‘Friends at work said . . .’ They make reference to how good they heard the food was, etc.,” explained Hyde.
Officially open since Aug. 8, 2007, Rosella’s is located on North St. and shares a parking lot with State Farm Insurance. Two chefs and two hostesses work to fill patrons’ orders seven days a week. Business hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. Customers can either eat in or place take-out orders. The facility has a seating capacity of 38. The restaurant offers various dining options, including sandwiches, and specializes in a variety of pizzas and sauces.
“We specialize in specialty pizzas. We utilize nine different sauce combinations to create ‘works of edible art.’ Our primary sauce is a spicy old-style marinara referred to as our ‘Signature Sauce’ that has quite a zing to it,” said Hyde.
For those looking for something a bit more mild, Hyde has come up with his own creation.
“I created a sweet sauce, that has half the spice and some added sugar for those with heartburn issues or a sweet sauce craving,” he said. “I also added three white sauces, referred to Caesar, Ranch and Alfredo. We have two dark sauces, referred to as BBQ and Teriyaki. We also have two alternative sauces, referred to as Spicy Buffalo and Mustard Glaze.”
For those watching their calories, Rosella’s offers a dietary pizza that uses an olive oil base glaze as well, but Hyde said he doesn’t include that in the sauce count.
To date, feedback has been positive, with the sauce being the key attraction for many, with a clean dining environment also being credited and the pizzas receiving compliments.
“The primary draw, from feedback we get from customers, is that the Signature Sauce is amazing. We’ve also have had feedback that the dining areas are clean and cozy, the (pizza) crust is excellent and that the specialty pizzas are just off the wall,” said Hyde.
The message customers seem to be relaying to the owners is just how unique and wonderful everything is.
“I think what I am really hearing from my customers collectively is that dining at Rosella’s is ‘out of the ordinary.’ I have found that there are three, maybe four things that are important to my customers: crust, sauce, loaded toppings and a clean environment. We’ve had customers tell us all these things are good,” Hyde said.
The restaurant has only received a few complaints – no real problems but rather ways to improve the business even more.
“The only real complaints we have had so far is we need a bigger sign and that we should serve beer,” said Hyde.
While the sign issue has been addressed, with a new sign to make the establishment more noticeable, Hyde said the beer issue may take more time, since another bathroom would need to be added, per Maine state codes.
Although Rosella’s did not offer delivery service when it first opened on North St., Hyde said that’s something he and Nelson are considering adding this year.
“We are looking into providing delivery in 2008, to better serve the community,” said Hyde.
Hyde said he’s taking things slowly to ensure the business’s success.
“We have had a business strategy thus far of taking baby steps. We don’t want to grow too much too fast. We’ve found this has been very important, to ease our staff into the growing demand for good pizza,” said Hyde. “Good pizza and good service keeps customers happy. And a happy customer is a repeat customer.”
For more information or to place an order, contact 764-6644.
Image courtesy of Sheldon Hyde
ROSELLA’S offers a variety of specialty pizzas and sauces, as well as other dining selections at the restaurant’s 18 North St. location in Presque Isle.
