Owner details plans for neighborhood pizza shop

Sept. 16, 2019

Remodeling work will begin soon for a new pizzeria in the neighborhood between Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls.

Sunny’s Pizzeria received a conditional use permit earlier this month that will allow it to serve beer, so owner Jon Oppold has signed a lease for the building at 26th Street and Walts Avenue and plans to begin work.

“We’re targeting November,” he said of an opening date. “There’s not a lot of work to do.”

“It’s going to be a pretty simple project, mainly aesthetics, updating the inside, installing the things necessary to make it a restaurant.”

Oppold, who has been working in marketing, advertising and communications, has a background in the restaurant industry and has done everything from being a bartender to a cook.

“Usually how it works with a pizza place is every single one has some unique quality to the food they serve: the crust, wood-fired. For us, it’s going to be the toppings. We’re going to have lots of different specialty options. … I’m looking forward to doing some quirky things with the toppings, for instance maybe doing some sort of “inferno” pizza with buffalo sauce, spicy sausage and jalapenos and a drizzle of some other hot sauce … or a Greek pizza with tzatziki sauce and gyro meat.”

In addition, the pizzeria will serve traditional pizzas such as pepperoni, sausage and cheese, and customers also will be able to choose their own toppings.

Oppold once worked at Monks House of Ale Repute and he’s a supporter of the craft beer industry, so he’s planning to serve offerings from the local breweries.

“It’s a pizza restaurant first, and beer would be an accessory.”

Customers will order at a counter, and there will be seating for about 20 customers and TVs to watch sporting events.

He hopes Sunny’s becomes a gathering spot for college students and alumni after games.

“My vision for it is to be kind of like a classic neighborhood place that years from now will still be there and have a reputation that you go to it if you’re going to a college game in the area.”

Oppold is planning to open at 10 a.m. daily and close no later than midnight.

He and his wife, Katy, who is a teacher, lived about a block away from the building for the first five years of their marriage.

“We used to walk by here (when it was a laundromat) and said if this place is available, we would turn it into a pizza place. This place would be an awesome place for a pizza place, and we made a pact that if it ever became available, we’d go after it. … Seven years later, we’re giving it a shot.”

The restaurant is named after their dog, Sunny, an 8-year-old French Bulldog.

Oppold has launched a Founder’s Club and a crowdfunding campaign to help provide extra touches for the restaurant such as extra entertainment options, patio seating, upgraded decor and equipment for additional offerings such as gourmet coffee or ice cream.

Depending on the level of support, Founder’s Club members will get benefits ranging from discounts and free pizza to access to special events and their name on a sign that will hang in the restaurant. There’s even a special offer just for students.

“I’m pretty excited to get this going. I envision it as a neighborhood staple. Sioux Falls doesn’t have a lot of these neighborhood-type businesses. I think of ones like Rosie’s Cafe and Whiffer’s Sandwiches. So it’ll be nice to establish another one of those.”

Editor’s note: The story has been updated to indicate that Oppold has signed a lease for the building. 

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Owner details plans for neighborhood pizza shop

Remodeling work will begin soon for a new pizzeria in the neighborhood between Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls.

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