STORY BY DRAKE RHONE
A new restaurant has appeared on campus, taking the place of Drake’s beloved Paul Revere’s Pizza.
Bordy’s Pizza opened a few months ago, just in time for the start of the fall semester. The building was leased by Christian “Bordy” Bordanero and Darren Marasco, one of Bordanero’s former employees in his first location.
Bordanero described the move as simply being a business decision that he had been wanting to make for quite some time, which became available once the building that Paul Revere’s was based in was sold to a new owner, who then gave Bordanero a call.
“I’ve always loved the Drake area,” said Bordanero. “And I’ve always wanted to have a location on a college campus. I was sitting with my help when I got the call — Darren being one of them. I asked him if he wanted to be a partner, and three days later we signed the lease.”
While this is the first time Bordanero has been in a college neighborhood, he’s been around the block a few times at other locations since he bought the business from his father in 1972.
“We have one other location,” said Bordanero. “We also supply all of the pizza for Wells Fargo and HyVee Hall. We’ve been doing that for three years now.”
Since it is an established restaurant, Bordy’s has several differences from Paul Revere’s, and acceptance comes slowly for members of the Drake community.
“(Bordy’s) will never live up to Paul Revere’s,” said Drake FOCUS missionary Brandon Miranda. “It was a staple on campus, I loved that it was super janky. It was a good place to get one o’clock breadsticks, but I’ll give Bordy’s a shot. I give all new places a shot.”
Bordanero mentioned a few qualities of Bordy’s that he thinks Drake students will enjoy.
“We don’t have breadsticks, but we have garlic cheese bread, which I think is equal if not better,” said Bordanero. “Our sauce is spicier than normal sauce, but you can get a milder sauce by request, which is made with half the spices. Bordy’s is known for its crust and its sauce, and 95% of our ingredients are made in-house. We also offer beer in tallboy cans, which is something that I don’t think Paul Revere’s had.”
Since classes have only been in session for a short time, many students haven’t yet tried Bordy’s, but most are willing to give it a try.
“I’m sad to see (Paul Revere’s) go, but I also accept change,” junior Kim Taylor said. “They really center on the individual, with the pizza by the slice, which is cool, even if it is a bit expensive.”
Bordy’s is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, and is also open for supper hours from 5 p.m to 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday and 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sunday.
Bordy’s can be reached by calling 515-279-1607.
