Restaurant Review: Doughboy Pizza

As of Dec. 17, Macon’s growing business community increased by one more with the opening of Doughboy Pizza.
At the corner of Cherry and 3rd Street, the new family-run restaurant, owned by Rodger Ruiz, replaced Central Park Pizza last winter.
The store provides a very casual and friendly atmosphere and resides in an ideal location.
The corner lot has two walls made almost entirely of windows, perfect for people watching, making for an open and bright dining experience.
Ruiz said while he did work for a big pizza company for seven years, “owning a business is a very new thing for me and a very good learning experience.”
Despite the new experience, the business is managed in a way that allows it to operate under a very low cost.
The restaurant is gradually growing, but Ruiz explained that one of the hardest parts of the business process is the advertising.
“Many chain restaurants have a larger capital to put towards advertising, where I have a 900 square foot restaurant and sell $2.00 cheese pizza slices. I can’t pay out for ads like those businesses. They have corporate support, while I have Scotty’s support,” he said, jokingly referring to a fellow employee.
Another big challenge as a storeowner in Macon is homelessness. At one point, a man came in and stole the tip jar off the counter.
According to Ruiz, “There was only $8 in the jar. In fact the jar was more valuable than the amount of money inside, but it was found smashed in some alleyway.”
Ruiz continued, “As a store owner, I’m a very kindhearted person, and at the end of the night, I try to give to someone in need if I can. But when they come in all the time, I have to be very stern and blunt. You want to be kind but, at the same time ,you can’t back down.”
Ruiz has established himself as a very generous and personable business owner, and the growing reputation of his restaurant speaks for itself.
The quality of food is exceptional, as everything is cooked fresh, and nothing available to order is pre-cooked.
All of the vegetables are cut fresh within at least 24 hours of baking time, while the dough is hand tossed and homemade and is stone-baked in the store.
Normally, ingredients like these would cost customers a good bit of money, but Doughboy offers high quality pizza for reasonable prices.
The option of individual slices is also available all day.
Ruiz suggests if you are looking to try something new, “get the Pick-a-Chick pizza. It has fresh cut onions, bacon, chicken, a buffalo swirl and a ranch swirl. It’s my favorite.”
Doughboy recently celebrated the Cherry Blossom Festival by using pink dough in their pizza.
If you are looking for a relaxed, casual pizza place, it is definitely worthwhile to stop by Doughboy.
Restaurant hours are Monday-Wednesday and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.