Q&A with the Man Behind Frank's Pizzeria

Because America consumes pizza at a fantastic rate, Hopatcong Patch interviewed Kevin Natale, owner and manager of Frank's Pizza, to get an inside look at one of Hopatcong's favorite pizzerias.

Who started Frank's Pizza?

Carmine Pellegrino started it all. He's a great guy; he's like a father figure to me.

How many Frank's locations are there?

There are now 48 stores throughout the country, mainly located in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

How long has this particular Frank's been around?

Frank's Pizza in Hopatcong was Carmine's sixth store. We're a family business and we've been around 25 years, ten in this new location. We're hoping to make it 50 years; I think we will.

How long have you been working here?

Since I was 13 years old. I started out washing dishes. Now I'm the owner, but I can pretty much do it all. I can cook and make pizzas.

Do you make pizza at home?

Yeah, I make pizza once in a while at home. I eat pizza everyday. I'm going to South Carolina next weekend and I'm still going to eat pizza. I'll probably make a few pies while I'm down there.

How many employees do you have?

Ten.

How expensive is it to run a pizzeria?

Pretty expensive. Aside from all of the food costs you have to think about rent, utility bills, taxes, paying employees. It's not as easy as people would expect.

What is Frank's most popular dish?

Everything's great, but our Chicken Francaise is pretty popular.

What makes the perfect pizza?

Fresh ingredients and the person making the pie. It's all about consistency.

What is the most popular pizza topping?

Pepperoni.

What are your special pies?

We have a few: Hawaiian, chicken [parmigiana], honey mustard chicken, fresh tomato and mozzarella, veggie. But if you have something else in mind, chances are we can make it.

What is the strangest pie you've ever made?

We've made some fun stuff before. We've made breakfast pies with eggs and bacon. For a while we made dessert pies; the dough was sweet and it was topped with fruit and sugar.

What is one thing should NEVER go on a pizza?

We can put almost anything on a pie, but there are some things that I just don't know why people would want, like barbecue chicken or chicken bacon ranch. I don't get it.

What's the weirdest pizza you've ever eaten?

Cavier, and I was like, uh-uh, that just doesn't go there.

What is your favorite Frank's dish?

Eggplant Rollentini. It's delicious.

On average how many pounds of cheese do you go through a year?

Lots and lots. The Hopatcong store is pretty consistent. We go through about 20 cases of cheese a week, each case is 45-50lbs of cheese.

What makes Frank's standout from other local pizzerias?

People like us, especially the family atmosphere. We're also working on keeping things fresh. We're redoing the dining room, getting some new paint and new chairs, changing the menu up. We're always evolving.

What are some of Frank's goals?

Our first goal is to be the most popular pizzeria in town. Another goal is definitely to be a family operation on a corporate level. Our latest goal has been to expand our advertising through multi-media to keep up with the times. I really like Facebook. It's a great way to spread the word about specials and just to get your name out there. We have over 1,000 fans so its amazing for advertising and a really good way to reach out to the community.

How is Franks involved in the community?

We do a little bit of everything. We support Girl Scouts, football, wrestling, various churches—anything they ask for we always give it. If there's a sick kid in town we'll start up a donation. We're here to help out as much as we can.