I heard about Your Pie several months ago from my brother Thornton who lives in Athens.
An executive with Zaxby's, Thornton knows the ins and outs of the food industry, and is quick to point out restaurant concepts that he thinks could be successful on a larger scale. Your Pie is one of those.
      Why should that be of interest to us here in Statesboro? Because, in about four weeks, the Statesboro Your Pie is slated to open. Owners Daniel and Christi Long are excited about bringing the Athens based pizza restaurant to Statesboro.
      Located in the Nikko shopping center on Brannen Street Extension, Your Pie will be housed two doors down from the Long's other restaurant, Larry's Giant Subs.
      "My first visit to Your Pie was when I was in Athens attending a ballgame," Daniel Long said. "I just thought the pizza and the concept were great, and I started to look into the possibility of opening one in Statesboro."
      Your Pie sells 10-inch pizzas offering three different types of crust, eight sauces, eight different choices of cheese, and a tremendous array of toppings.
      "It is so unique," Long said. "It is a big pizza for one person, but it allows you to customize your pizza just the way you like it, and the list of ingredients is extensive. Every pizza is cooked in a brick oven giving it that true Italian flavor."
      Founded in 2008 by a University of Georgia graduate, Your Pie will have 12 locations when the Statesboro restaurant opens, according to Long.
      "We are so happy to have this franchise, and are really excited about the location," he said. "After weeks of searching, we were notified that 2,500 feet of space just down from Larry's would be available, and we knew that was exactly where we needed to be."
      The restaurant will have dine-in and take-out service.
      "We can seat approximately 75 people in the restaurant," he said. "We will also serve beer and wine. For the beer aficionados out there, Your Pie (has) craft beers."
      Long said he and his wife just got through training in Athens.
      "It was everything we could have imagined and more," he said. "It really is traditional Italian pizza, and it is so good. Training was a lot of work, but it was so much fun."
      Long said when he graduated from college, his goal was to have a career that he was passionate about.
      "I knew corporate life was not for me," he said. "I wanted to be in the food business, and this is all like a dream come true."
      To learn more about Your Pie, you can visit their website at www.yourpie.com.