Video by Cooper Slough
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
ELLIS – For 30 years, Arthur’s Pizza and Mexican Foods, 103 W. Ninth in Ellis, has delivered a unique combination of food to locals. And, in celebration of three decades, the restaurant will have special deals through the week.
While serving food is a big part of their lives, for owners Gilbert and Cheryl Kinderknecht, being involved in the community is an important part of working and living in Ellis and something Gilbert attributes in part to their sustained success.
“I think a lot of it’s that we’re local ourselves. My wife is from Hays and she been a longtime resident there. I’ve been lifelong here,” Gilbert said. “We do a lot of local history, as you can see on the walls. Everything is about Ellis.”
They bought the restaurant 19 years ago after the original owner was open for 11.
“I decided that I wanted to be home and this actually fell in our lap in about a three-month period,” Gilbert said, noting previous employment required a lot of time away from his young daughter.
And even though his daughter is now out of the home, he has no plans on moving on from the restaurant.
“I plan on being here for quite a while yet,” he said.
As for the unique fare, it was just a part of what the original owner wanted in a restaurant.
“The reason there are pizza and Mexican foods is because, 30 years ago, there were really no restaurants in town except hamburgers,” Gilbert said. “So the gentleman that started it worked for a pizza place, started his own restaurant and liked Mexican also.”
Over the years, he said the popularity of the unique menu allowed for even more menu items.
“It’s a niche, even though there are more restaurants in town now. We have everything from Mexican, breadwiches, pasta, Mexican food, pizzas, specialty pizza. So we’ve got a lot of items,” Gilbert said.
But that doesn’t mean they cut corners.
“Our food is fresh, we make it every day here, five batches of different kinds of dough. We think we care enough. We hope that’s a part of it,” Gilbert said.
The exclusive rights to sell Popt popcorn in Ellis was recently brought into the restaurant as well.
While unique food may make the restaurant stand out, a strong connection to the community makes it a local favorite.
“We just believe in being community minded,” Gilbert said, noting recent projects with the Ellis Recreation Commission and the public library.
“I just like visiting with people,” he said.
Arthur’s Pizza and Mexican Foods is open Thursday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with closing hours extended until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Delivery is also available.
To find out more about the restaurant, or see specials for the anniversary month visit their facebook page here.