OHIO CITY, Ohio — For pizza lovers, there’s really no better place to work than a pizzeria. That's what David Loeser said about working at Ohio City Pizzeria.
What You Need To Know
- Ohio City Pizzeria in Cleveland has been serving up delicious pizza for more than 40 years
- In 2018, West Side Catholic Center bought the business and reopened it in 2019
- Under the new ownership, it’s still serving up great food, but now for a great cause
“I'm a big pizza fan, actually,” said Loeser. “It fits in really well if you like food.”
Loeser has worked as an independent contractor for many years, but during the pandemic, he decided he wanted a change of pace and a more stable income.
“I wanted a little more consistency and regularity towards the work,” said Loeser. "The thing with being an independent contractor is you are always gigging and there's always the chance that things could dry up or go away.”
Last year, he sought help from the West Side Catholic Center to update his resume. In December, he got hired by Ohio City Pizzeria, which is owned by WSCC.
“The West Side Catholic Center has served the Ohio City community and beyond for over 40 years with things like food, clothing, shelter, advocacy and a path to self sufficiency, which leads into our workforce development programs, our culinary program, which sends people over, amongst other places, to this place, the Ohio City Pizzeria where people can get gainful employment,” said John Litten, executive director of the West Side Catholic Center.
The West Side Catholic Center took ownership of the pizzeria in 2018, renovated it and then reopened it in 2019 as a nonprofit. The pizzeria often hires people who need help getting on their feet. They help them get accustomed to the workforce.
“It’s a wonderful place to work. It really is very good people. Very good cause and there's pizza,” said Loeser.
To Litten, the pizzeria isn’t just about making great food, but also giving a much-needed chance to great people.
“I guess we want to see to it that once people have paid their debts or gone through their challenges, that it ends there or can end there,” said Litten. “And so, to be that forgiving and understanding place, much like our families would be, is incredibly important. For people to know they have a forgiving, helpful, thoughtful environment to go to is extremely important.”
Litten and his team help transition people through their challenges and want their employees to use the pizzeria as a stepping stone.
“What you learn here, the basics are quite transferable to any type of work,” said Loeser. “The cooperation, the teamwork, the appreciation of the synergy that can be created when you have the right people all pulling together in the same direction. And also, just, you know, having a good work ethic, in general, is going to benefit you anywhere.”
A goal of the pizzeria is to help people keep moving forward.
“This ought not be, you know, the endpoint or the finish line for anyone. We hope for this to be a stepping stone,” said Litten. “Some of our happiest stories are people who've come in here got a good job through us but then were able to get an even better job that paid even better at another restaurant.”
The pizzeria provides work to people who are willing to work on themselves.
“Really, frankly, as much as we're providing food, clothing, shelter, jobs, all kinds of other things," said Litten. "We're really providing friendship and support systems for people so that they have all the tools that they need, tools that you and I may take for granted actually, so that they can succeed in life."
They don’t only serve up and deliver pizza, but also hope.
“People are used to lacking trust in systems, lacking trust in others. And it's up to us, and places like us, to be a consistent reminder that they are safe, they are cared for, they're loved and they'll always have a place to turn to,” said Litten. “We deliver on hope for people and and my fear would be without places like us and many, many others that people would give up. People would simply give up. So it's good. It's good to be that beacon of hope for people.”
“I'm quite grateful for it,” said Loeser.
Ohio City Pizzeria is open Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, click here.