3 Bums Pizza to Open Location in Houghton

Start lining up: 3 Bums Pizza is coming to Houghton.

The local favorite is preparing to move its operations from its current Belfast location into the building formerly occupied by the Allegany Harvest Cooperative Market at Houghton.

The reason for the move, according to owner Jake Hillman, is to better service the business that 3 Bums receives from the Houghton-Fillmore area.

The business “hopes to move fairly quickly” to Houghton, said Hillman, with a projected opening date of June 1. The business will be transferring some of its equipment from the Belfast location, but will also be renovating the new building to better suit the needs of a pizza restaurant.

In preparation for the move to Houghton, Hillman has been assisted by the Houghton College business department’s Marketing Research class who have been surveying the student body to assess what students would prefer at a pizza place. Said Ken Bates, professor of business, “the owner is really interested in student opinion” and how the business could best appeal to students.

According to Bates, the new business is sure to meet a particular demand among the college-aged set. “A college community without pizza delivery is almost unheard of,” said Bates, “I think they will do very well here.”

Said Phyllis Gaerte on behalf of the Houghton River Group, an organization dedicated to promoting the Houghton community’s economic development, “We are very excited about the prospect of 3 Bums coming to Houghton and what that will mean for our students.”

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Hillman, “I hope our relationship with Houghton will last a long time.”