Northern Virginia’s first Jet’s Pizza location is getting ready to open soon in Alexandria — and the local franchisee for the brand says Loudoun County and adjacent communities are on his radar.
Jet’s is a Michigan-based brand founded in 1978 with more than 400 locations around the country. They specialize in Detroit-style pizza which is usually deep dish and baked in a rectangular pan with extra cheese that carmalizes around the edges.
It’s also sometimes has “racing stripes” of sauce ladled on top of the finished pizza. Jet’s also has other styles of crust on its menu as well.
The Burn spoke with Dan Kosztowny who owns two Jet’s Pizza locations in Michigan and is now bringing the brand to our area.
His first Jet’s Pizza here — on East Glebe Road in Alexandria — is expected to open sometime in November. Kosztowny has also inked a deal for a second location in Annandale.
Meanwhile, he has plans for at least 10 more — and possibly well beyond that.
Currently, the vision is to grow slowly — 2 to 3 stores a year — outwards from Alexandria. Among the communities on Kosztowny’s list are places like Ashburn, Sterling, Reston, Herndon, and Chantilly.
He says the key factor is finding the right real estate. They’re looking for 1,200-1,400 s.f. units in small shopping centers with ample parking and good visibility to a major road.
Another factor — many shopping centers already have pizza restaurants located in them, so Jet’s will need to find centers that are pizza-free currently — easier said than done.
With all these criteria, Kosztowny says it’s possible they could jump around and open a store in our area sooner — if the right spot is found.
(Image: Jet’s Pizza)