With Addie’s Ice Cream now officially open for business, the limited dining opportunities available around Houghton have increased, but there’s still something missing from the campus. With hungry expectations still to be met and questions that need to be answered, people are wondering, why is the building across from Subway still empty? Where is the anticipated 3 Bums Pizza?
At the end of last semester, students were told that 3 Bums Pizza would be open upon returning this Fall. Currently, 3 Bums is still in the process of transitioning from their previous location in Belfast, to their new building formerly occupied by the Allegany Harvest Cooperative Market. With the original projected opening date of June 1, and mid-September quickly approaching, people are wondering what is accounting for the delay.
Owner of 3 Bums Pizza, Jake Hillman, stated, “While we had hoped that 3 Bums Pizza in Houghton would open quite some time ago, several issues have delayed our move. We’ve been working on some pretty extensive renovations the last several weeks, and as the project has progressed, those renovations have become even more extensive. Ever-changing building and fire codes make turning an empty space into a restaurant quite a task.”
Director of Community Relations, Phyllis Gaerte, said, “We are very disappointed at the delay, but in Jake’s defense, they ran into a number of tricky complications with state restaurant codes. Transforming an old convenience store presents unforeseeable challenges that 3 Bums is rising to meet.”
Hillman tells locals, “The good news is that we are in the home stretch of construction and will be open in the coming weeks.”
Soon 3 Bums will open its doors to students and the surrounding area. Business Professor Ken Bates states, “I predict Houghton’s relationship with 3 Bums to be mutually beneficial. It’s hard to imagine a college town without a pizza delivery business. Turning that around, it’s hard to imagine a pizza business in a college town that doesn’t have a big upside in terms of business success.”
3 Bums will also potentially provide opportunities for students, “3 Bums has employed Houghton students part-time in the past and now that they’re in town that will make this even easier.” Bates said. “We in the business department will be delighted to work with Jake in setting up internships with our business students to whatever degree that will work with his business model. Those discussions have yet to happen, but I look forward to welcoming Jake to the Houghton RVER Group meetings and working together to help his business succeed”
In the following weeks, Houghton can expect to see 3 Bums Pizza renovated and open for business. Hillman assures customers that “No one is more disappointed than we are that our new pizza place wasn’t up and running by the time students came back for the fall semester. We are committed to Houghton for the long term and are quite confident that taking the necessary time to make sure everything is done, and done right.”
