Oct. 23, 2024

The newest Papa Murphy’s in Sioux Falls is the first to feature a pickup window for the made-from-scratch, take-and-bake pizzas.

The store opened Friday in a new retail center at 4205 W. 57th St., west of Louise Avenue.

It’s the fifth location in Sioux Falls for franchisee Tom Henderson and minority partner Brian Nordby. They also have a site in Brandon.

“All our guests who order ahead online or through the app can just roll through the quick pickup window, grab their pizza, and they’re on their way,” said Nordby, vice president of operations. “We have a lot of very busy guests, and it’s just one less point of friction and a time-saver.”

They’re hoping to serve more than half of customers through the pickup window, he said.

Customers who come inside, though, will be able to watch the entire process of making pizzas, from the mixing of the dough and forming it to the chopping of vegetables and the shredding of cheese.

“We did change the layout of the kitchen to allow the guests to really see how clean and fresh everything is we’re doing it on,” Nordby said. “We’re on full display. We’ve got nothing to hide. We’re very proud as far as the environment that we’re working in and the product we’re putting out. We want the guest to be able to see that.”

Next to the front counter, there are shelves to hold pizzas that customers have ordered.

Above the counter, there are electronic displays that show the menu and specials.

That includes extra-large New York-style pizzas for $10 and large pizzas for $8 with four options: cheese, shredded pepperoni or ground sausage.

“We always want to have our guests have at least one or two options where they can get a great deal. And maybe that’s the only thing they get, but maybe that’s what they get for the kids and they split. Mom and Dad get one of our fancier, more gourmet, high-end toppings that they really enjoy.”

There’s also a Jack-O-Lantern Pizza and cookie dough for $14.

“It’s one of our favorite times of the year,” Nordby said. “Halloween is our day. It’s our biggest day of the year. Everybody thinks it’s going to be Super Bowl. Halloween sometimes is at least twice as busy if not three times as busy as Super Bowl.”

Nordby said many families have a tradition of picking up the Jack-O-Lantern Pizza on Halloween.

“They bake it at their convenience when they’re ready, and they do their trick-or-treating. It doesn’t interrupt their flow, and they have it hot and ready out of their oven whenever they’re ready.”

Store manager Johnny Sevold has been with Papa Murphy’s for five years. Each store typically has three full-time employees. They’re the ones “making all the dough, they’re shredding our cheese, chopping out veggies – all that stuff is done fresh in-store, so a lot of work goes into it,” Nordby said.

Ten to 15 evening-shift employees, mostly high school and college students, typically round out the team, he said.

Nordby began his Papa Murphy’s career working for Henderson as a high school student. He left for a few years after college but returned.

“We love seeing our young adults grow and continue their path towards leadership with us, and we really like mentoring our younger staff into those leadership positions,” Nordby said. “That’s the most rewarding part of the job for me, and one of the reasons I’m still around here is to see those young guys and gals grow with us.”

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.