Oakdale Pizza Grand Opening A Busy Night (with video)

The low and consent din of people talking over one another and the pitched high notes of the constantly ringing phone are part and parcel of running a pizza restaurant.

To Lena Fotiadis, eldest daughter of Oakdale Pizza owners Annie and Simo, it was music to her ears, as she made the fast pace of conducting the restaurant's grand opening look downright fun for her audience, the line of customers patiently waiting for a taste of something they've been missing for eight months. 

"I love it, I love seeing people come through the door," she said. "It feels like no time has passed, just like when you see good friends for the first time after a long time."

Oakdale Pizza has been closed since October when an arson fire destroyed the shopping plaza where it was located. The restaurant moved to its new location on Old Colchester Road and reopened Thursday. 

And "friends" is a better word than "customers" for the restaurant's  clientele. 

Kathy Calash, of Oakdale, was seated among four of her children. A former employee of the restaurant, she worked at the restaurant starting when she was 16 years old. 

"They're family," she said of her bosses of seven years.  

Maria Day, of Oakdale, agreed and said, "yes, finally," of the restaurant's opening. 

"It's family," she said as she waited for her large Hawaiian, taco and pepperoni pizzas to bring home. "They always welcome you, it's really friendly and open and family-oriented." 

However, it's not just the friendly, welcoming environment that attracts the crowd. 

William Schultz, of Salem, pulled out what he called a doctor's note of medications he has to take due to withdrawal symptoms from Oakdale Pizza.  

"I've been waiting, I was so psyched," said Mike Welles, of Montville, to Lena as he picked up his hamburger, buffalo chicken and mozzarella pizzas to bring home to his family. "I used to drive 1,000 miles to get this pizza."  

Welles worked road construction projects all over and when he could, he'd save his appetite for Oakdale's hamburger pizza.  

"I'd call when I was 30 minutes away and it would be ready when I got there." 

John Flatley, of Oakdale, just finished a plate of fried mushrooms and was waiting for his meatball pizza. He said the food is just as good and the restaurant space is beautiful. 

The restaurant is located in Oakdale Crossing Plaza at 1242 Old Colchester Road.

The restaurant seats 50, some tables are standard, some are high tops, and there are booths. The walls are a terra-cotta, white and yellow color with arched doors. The big windows allow customers to watch their pizzas come out of the oven. 

Don Stanavag Jr., whose father leased the original pizza restaurant, said he grew up with the family when they started the business in 1974 and his father would take him over to eat all the time and sometimes make him help out folding boxes. 

"So the other night I came over to fold boxes for the fun of it," he said. 

Susan Rys, of Oakdale, came in for the moussaka pizza, which cannot be beat, she said. 

"It's gorgeous, now we have a real restaurant in Oakdale," she said. "I'm excited."