Is there anyone here who reads the physical newspaper any more? If you read the business page on Sunday, you might have seen this story about Kedra, owner of All Purpose Pizza on Jackson Street.
If you can afford to shop at all , please remember how important it is to shop local! With the new developments coming online on 17th (recently) and 18th (soon), Jackson Street looks to have a fighting chance of becoming a nice mixed-use, urban street. It would be a crying shame to lose such an original, tasty neighborhood place like All Purpose as a casualty to the recession.
Please don’t tell me you’re cutting back by getting your pizza from some soulless, multinational, coupon-junk-mailing chain joint! If you’re not going to make your own food, pay the good people in our neighborhood, like Kedra, to make it for you.
I really like the pizza at this place. What I have found is that when I take my Family of four out to dinner and I end up spending 80 bucks I walk away not so happy. I mean this is pizza and its good but its not coming with a side of Fois Gras. Average glass of wine for 8 bucks??? These local places also need to offer some better values if they want to drive feet through their door. The beer special is a good start but they need to find something they can offer for less than 50. Just my one cent worth.
I am the owner of APP and have been trying out different wines/beers and deals over the years. I will be changing my wine list in the next week dropping prices to a level that is more buyer friendly. I tried some more upscale wines and feel like it just isn’t worth it. So don’t give up yet. I am also offering 15% off on delivery from now till the end of March for all Central District News readers. When you call for delivery, mention CDN and it will come off of your bill.
Thanks!
Kedra
Kedra-
I fully supported APP when it first opened. My wife
used you guys for lunch at her office and spent a ton of money
with you guys. We love the pizza, but it is too expensive.
We have just been picking up pies from other pizza places
(Stellar, Hot Mamas and even begrudgingly Piecoras).
This is a good start. Maybe you will earn back our business.
I would love to support a neighborhood pie shop again.
Just to put in a pitch for All Purpose… we’ve been there many times with our kids and it’s great. I love the pizza and beer selection and the kids love the little play pizza-making area. Kedra, how about making the hummus plate a little more affordable? I’d be all over that if it were a bit cheaper.
I LOVE the pizza at APP, and conveniently, also live in the building. When I bought my condo I was excited that there was a place SO close and planned on eating there at least every other day. Got my first check, and second, third, etc…. and, even though I’m by no means a cheap person, it’s not affordable. We’re all looking for that local hang out/eatery, but we can’t break the bank to have it.
I just read on your website that your hours are
4PM-9PM seven days a week? People dont eat pizza
for lunch anymore?
I am trying to reign in the prices. The price of flour tripled last summer and hasn’t returned to where it once was, so that about broke me and I had to raise prices. Unfortunately, a little place like mine just doesn’t have the buying power that a lot of bigger places have. Amazingly enough my food purveyors are doing some deviant pricing for me so I will be working to lower the prices back down to a more affordable level. They meet with me on Friday so check back in about a week or so and prices should be lower!!
Thanks
I used to be open for lunch. It wasn’t worth it. 99% of my business came in after 3:30 or 4pm.
I still do larger (5+) pizza delivery orders in the daytime, however, with notice.
I just posted separately from this string that I am offering 15% off deliveries from now through the end of March of Central District News readers. Just mention CDN when you call.
Sorry if my comments sounded negative. Just trying
to help. I wish you the best and hope the business
survives….
My comments dont sound negative at all now……
I am kid friendly there’s no doubt!
And I am trying……..
What people forget is that I don’t really have the buying power of a lot of larger, more established places – and both Piecora’s and Stellar pizza, for example, have liquor licenses and liquor is the gravy that helps them keep their prices down – the profits they make from drink sales can offset any food costs increases and keep their menu prices lower. I chose not to get a full liquor license because I didn’t feel the neighborhood supported it (keep in mind that churches and schools can contest a liquor license if they are within 500′ of my door – and I am surrounded by schools and churches).
I don’t have the luxury of selling my pie for a ton cheaper. I am not making a profit as it is and there is no fat to cut. I am hopeful that the food purveyor I have used for the past three years will give me a good deal on pricing so that the menu prices can go down. My dough is handled by one, full time dough guy. We make everything from scratch, we hand prep everything and use organic ingredients. I made all of these choices because it is what I look for in a restaurant and what I felt my customer base would want and appreciate. Perhaps the misconception is that all pizza is cheap. My prices are slightly higher, yes, to offset the labor it takes to make the dough and prep everything, and the cost of the quality ingredients I have on the menu. Much of my pricing is in line with Snoose Junction and Stellar pizza. The adjustments I hope to make will bring me more in line with pizzerias similar to mine!
Hi Kedra,
Although I have been an infrequent customer I’m happy to send a bit of my business your way to help you keep going. I do think that your place is a positive anchor in the neighborhood and probably a deterrent to crime. You’re going away would definitely make Jackson a much less attractive spot. That said, how about working with Scott to set up a few CDN nights at your place to drum up business. It would be a good way to help your business and help the CDN community become more of a community. As regards pricing of supplies is there any possibility of co-oping with the other folks to lower prices for all of you? Flying Squirrel comes to mind as a potential partner.
All the best,
Jimmy
That is an interesting idea re: co-op pricing. Maybe find smaller businesses – That’s Amore, Flying Squirrel and see what we purchase is common…hmmm
As for CDN nights – I am game for anything!
We visit APP about once a month for a family night out. the kids love the pizza kitchen and we appreciate the family-friendly environment.
Kedra, have you thought about offering pizza by the slice? Although we prefer your pizza and location we regularly go to Mad Pizza in Madison Park for a slices and salad when it is a busy weeknight and my husband is it away for work. Feeding two small children doesn’t warrent a full pie. If you had slices we would make the change in a heartbeat.
This wasn’t only in the paper version of the newspaper as I read it online, too. :O)
Cool. I saw that post on Madrona moms after I wrote on here. I love cheap wine with my pizza! Thanks for your efforts in the hood.
I like screaming babies, there is pub in Madrona that is always full with lots of scraming babies and children and it is always full. Children remind us that we are alive!
I commend you for driving a stake in the ground, being in the location taht you are and will support you for it!
I live a bit southeast of you in what has ALWAYS been known as the no pizza delivery zone. You are the only local pizza delivery we have other than the generic “D” crap that we refuse to order from.
I do not mind paying a bit more, your ingrdients and quality is worth it.
I grew up in the Chicago area and I KNOW good Pizza.
Your it!
I’ll try and order more, diet be damned!
Hey “Mr. Reasons”, grow up!
I love this thread today. Constructive critisism met by a local buisness owner who is willing to listen. Kedra I love the fact that you are trying.The thing about pizza is that it CAN be cheap but generally it is not. Yours is not the first pie I got sticker shock from. I have many of the same issues with the Madrona Pub. You get another visit from our clan just for trying. See you in a week or two.
I love All Purpose Pizza! Sure the prices are a little higher than other pizza joints, but the quality is far superior to anything else in the neighborhood or surrounding communities. Mad Pizza, Piecoras, Hot Mamas, none of them come close to the pizza at APP or the environment. We’ve moved out of the neighborhood and still try to go to All Purpose as much as possible because the pizza is great and the staff is awesome!
My dad and I used to come in for lunch almost once a week. Now we’re not as frequent visitors because he lives on the Eastside, but your pizza is his favorite, so often when he’s on this side of the lake we still come in for dinner. :)
Hey CDNews staff! It is high time for an All Purpose Pizza review. Their absence in the Review section of this paper is conspicuous. Clearly the people who have eaten there like the spot and maybe a review can drum up some more business for Kendra.
I’ve eaten at APP several times and loved it. But that several times occured over two years time. I might need to step it up.
If you are logged in to comment, you are logged in to post a review. Go to the Post tab and click on Post a Review in the drop-down list. Piece of cake, I mean pie. Personally I like reviews written by citizens as well as by cdnews staff/HQ. The more the merrier.
My wife and I come in once in a while, but mostly order to pick up. I’m sorry things are so tough, we definitely want to see APP stick around. What’s most sad to hear is that even Pizza businesses are having a tough time. In this economy, Pizza and Pho are about the only things we go out for these days. I hope things turn around, and the free publicity from the article perks up business a bit.
I used to live above APP and could not get enough. I have moved a few blocks away, but it is the first place I think of when I want pizza. I cannot say how much I like their pizza and appreciate that Kendra (and crew) continue to serve food made from scratch that is so tasty. Yes it is a little more expensive. But I think so worth it. I amy not go as often as I would like, but I try and keep my dollars in our neighborhood.
Also, we need to support our neighborhood businesses. As a new business owner in the Central District myself (Immortal Dog) I can say that most of my business is coming from our neighborhood. Building relationships with the owners of our local businesses can only strengthen our neighborhood. I know we all are interested in that.
My husband and I live above APP and try to get it as much as possible. It really is the best pizza around, and while it may be more expensive, it’s totally worth it. Fresh ingredients make all the difference. Oh and that dough! So good!! I would be devastated to see it leave. Please get out and support our local businesses!!
Immortal Dog is fantastic too!! We’re so excited to have it here!
Ahhhhh, Chicago (my home town as well) pizza! Amen on Madrona Pub. If you can fight your way through all the snotty parents and their pizza is aweful!!
I love All Purpose Pizza. Great place, a little pricey, but they give you a big pizza. The guys that work there are really adorable too. My only comment is that they use ground beef on the sausage pizza and I wish they used italian sausage (or some type of sausage for that “nubby” sausage pizza look). The ground beef feels a little Tombstone Pizza’ish. I would even pay more for Italian sausage.
have you tried talking to any of the local co-ops (madison market) about serving your pizza?
WHAT? A terrible crime. Next thing you know there will be a place where mice play music with fake instruments on a stage to the joy and happiness of this screaming beasts!
Maybe I got a case of the Tuesday’s, but this thread just floors me. I guess folks will bitch about anything!
Folks spend time crying and moaning about the lack of options and businesses in the “hood” and how the city makes it tough. Then, when somebody makes a commitment to a not exactly prime locale and charges market prices, they freak out. I’m ok with good, constructive feedback, but this went from that to a rant thread quick. And if APP went out of biz, it would be whine time here again. My gosh.
I echo what an earlier poster said — Can I walk in and get a slice? I’d be much much much more frequent customer if I could do this. Plus the counter atmosphere lends itself to that sort of thing.
You know, it’s a family friendly place, and this is a family neighborhood. If you don’t like the screaming baby apocalypse that most family places become around dinner hour, go to some more upscale place. Sheesh, whiners!
To Kendra – stick with it, there is a working formula in here somewhere! It would be great to have a quick “by the slice” counter for grab and go stuff.
I would be much more likely to go to APP if it was open for lunchtime slices and maybe a half hour later at night. Best of luck!
You MUST have a bad case of the Tuesdays, Elvis. I haven’t read this thread as a rant at all, with one or two exceptions. I’m with CDRealEstateGuy who found this a constructive back-and-forth. I read a lot of support for local businesses.
I like the co-op buying suggestion. I know that George Staggers at Central Area Development Association is putting together a Business Improvement Association (BIA) to strengthen and empower the CD businesses. He’s starting on Jackson and plans to add the arterial business corridors one by one until we have a CD BIA. One benefit of such a BIA could be group buying power for flour, insurance or whatever. George and the CADA office will be moving into the Squire Park Plaza at 17th & Jackson. They are at Promenade 23 at 23rd & Jackson until the move if anyone wants more info or has questions for George.
I can tell you right now that it is not ground beef that we use for sausage – it is Caiscoppo Brothers (from Ballard). We cook it and grind it down so we can spread it over the whole pie rather than nuggets. Just an FYI…
tuesday’s are historically tough for me:-)
strong language aside, the bulk of the comments are negative and wouldn’t be viewed as inviting/supportive for a potential new business owner.
I have to say that overall this has been VERY good for me. I am happy that people realize I am only human – I was a CD resident for 10 years BEFORE opening APP so my “market analysis” was living in my own back yard – and while I have years of experience in the industry, I wasn’t prepared at all for the massive amount of details and the massive amount of pitfalls – being human, I have learned from these mistakes/pitfalls, but the learning curve seems more of a line…I am always growing and learning and having to modify, change and reflect. No two days are the same. One foot in front of the other.
Even in the third year +, I am still ironing out kinks.
There is no business I can think of that hasn’t relied on consumer feedback to help mold and effect change and I see the absolute necessity and value in this entire blog string.
Thank you for taking the time to offer feedback and opinion. None of it is lost on me….
Sincerely,
Kedra
The Tuesday cure is deep fried bacon!
I like the intermittent clusters of sausage. Not evenly spread. It feels like a Tombstone pizza. I like texture :).
OK, but I think folks had some good constructive comments on how to make it better (like nubby sausage vs. ground sausage evenly spread on the pie:)).
Go Kedra! Hang in there buddy. Funny, we are having a similar story on us next week!
Kendra, you are doing great! I love your restaurant. Keep the cute guys on your staff and expand your sausage options on the pizza :)! Let the screaming kids go to Madrona Pub with their snotty mums :). Your restauant saved my life during the heavy snow storms we had in late Dec/early Jan. Go girl!
I agree about being open for lunch- even w/ a skeleton crew. Pizza by the slice would be great as well. A “Slice of the Day” would be a great thing. In the building alone there are a number of residents that work from their home office. Being able to run downstairs for a salad or slice would be a lifesaver– as well as slightly later close for us wine drinkers :)
What great feed back, for free even!
Anyone can join CD News and WRITE a review. Then there will be one!
Hey Kedra. I love coming to APP! It’s neighborly, relaxed and you guys are all as friendly as can be. I’m really looking forward to more beer options– if I may be so bold, a belgian double or triple would be an excellent addition. La Fin du Monde (mmmm) readily comes to mind.
In terms of current offerings and changes that would make me oh so happy– why charge more for a thinner crust? I’ll happily pay the same price, but an additional charge seems unwarranted. Also, is there a way to offer another red sauce option? Your other sauces pair well with your sourdough crust, but in my (admittedly one-sided) opinion, the red sauce seems too sweet and doesn’t properly complement it.
Hey Kedra, I haven’t been by in a couple years (when I worked at Harborview we ordered out occasionally- may want to post fliers there especially since the cafe in the bottom of the Pat Steele building is now closed) but I’m really impressed by your ability to take this feedback (ignoring the couple wildly rude comments). I think your flexibility and openness to feedback will really help you through tough times. I’m more in the Capitol Hill area but would love to be able to get your pizza at Madison Market, if they’d carry it. Agree with everyone else that slices would be great.
As someone else said, I think its awesome that we’re able to talk to the business owner and they’re taking feedback. Very cool. I haven’t been to APP before but next time I have a pizza craving, I’ll swing by.
Kedra, best of luck with your business!
Kendra, thanks for being responsive and inventive.
I’ll definitely be allocating some cash from my “dinner outing” budget this week for a visit to APP.
the thin crust is extra because it is labor intensive to do – each thin crust is rolled out to order. Our regular crust is tossed out and put on racks for the night and is quickly used up – when a thin crust comes up we have to stop, roll the dough thin, measure and cut it, and then put it on its prep board. It is a big extra step for us and can kink up the line if we aren’t careful. And when you are trying to keep the rack filled with our hand tossed dough, it can set you back. You might say make a few thin crusts “skins” ahead of time – unfortunately, the dough drys very quickly and becomes crumbly and hard to work with. And, often times we don’t have orders for thin crust several days in a row – so if we rolled them we would be wasting product if no one ordered it. With hand tossed, it is much much faster to do.
and that is why……I hope this helps…
Kedra,
I live nearby and I love your pizza. I also think you do a great job running your business. My one suggestion as some others have suggested would be to do pizza by the slice. Why not make an extra pizza or two (one veggie and one meat) and sell by the slice? I bet you’d find people like me coming in for a couple of slices and a beer. You could mix it up so that your pizza by the slice choices are whatever works best for APP on any given night. Thanks!
To conclude: what people want is to buy a nubby looking slice with different sausage options that can be taken out so they don’t have to hear the kids scream. Possible names:
– “Escape from the bratz”
– “Kidhaters delight”
– “Nubby peace”
– “Elmwood special”
No way! I LOVE the sausage just as it is! Please don’t change it :-)
I live walking distance from Piecora’s so we often go there when we want a few slices, but the quality of the pizza–particularly the crust–is SO much better at All-Purpose Pizza! I’ve only eaten inside once or twice but we get delivery pretty regularly and it is worth the price to me (of course then I provide my own beverages so it’s about $20-ish for dinner for three adults and one child).
Kedra, would you consider opening for lunch just on weekends? You could hand out coupons to all the parents and kids who go to Powell Barnett Park on weekends. I often meet up with another mom friend for playdates around lunch time, and we’d much rather go to your place after the playground than some of the other nearby eateries.
Sounds good my friend. Call it whatever you like, just offer “nubby” Italian sausage. The kids will get used to it.
I notice there really isn’t a Pho place in the CD….what’s up with that?
My family and I went to APP for the very first time last night after reading about Kedra and the Times article and we were really impressed with the food and service. I didn’t think that prices were really that different than any other respectable pizza joint. Also, it seemed pretty busy and the waitstaff did a good job hustling back and forth between the kitchen and tables. With two small children, we also loved that they had a kids play area. It definetely made eating out more enjoyable as my older daughter was able to keep herself occupied and busy while we waited for the food. I am definetely recommended this place to my friends! Good luck Kendra!
All Purpose Pizza delivers to Madison Valley, so we got into them quickly after moving here a few years ago. I think it’s a pretty unique pie, with the sourdough crust. And, between the crust and the ingredients, they’re really substantial pizzas. We (two of us) always have leftovers after a large pie for dinner–so we get dinner and the next day’s lunch for that one price–which makes it more affordable overall.
Good thin crust pizzas like Tutta Bella aren’t really less expensive, because you need 1 or more pies per person. And then, cheap pizza is really more about “cheap” than pizza. It’s always good to have a cheap pizza place around, like when you need to feed drunk people who can’t appreciate what they’re eating anyway.
But, when you actually want to enjoy some pizza pie, All Purpose is really right on.
A couple secrets:
Their Caesar salad dressing is awesome–when you get it delivered with the salad, the dressing is separate and so you end-up with extra. Add your own romaine the next day for more good leftovers :-)
You can add their sausage to any pie–like get the Four Cheese on the menu, and have them add sausage. That be crazy, I swear!
Just wanted to add my two cents here – my partner and I love having this in the neighborhood and are so appreciative for having such amazing pizza right up the street. Keep up the great work – we’ll be in again soon!
RIGHT ON!!!
My kids are always asking to go to “the place with the dough”. We think its great to have a family friendly place that isn’t Red Robin. When we want cheap pizza, we make it at home. If we go out, we end up at APP. So we’re there about once a month.
We recently had my daughter’s 2nd birthday there and it was great. For less than the cost of one of these big birthday rental places we were able to entertain 6 kids and 9 adults with pizza, beer, and play-time. (My apologies to anyone else in the restaurant that night – I think we were maybe a little loud!)
I was disappointed to hear about the article in the paper that day, but not surprised. Unfortunately the great local places are really struggling these days. We’ll keep going to APP, and some of our other favorite local places, and hopefully my friends who came to our b-day party will start going there, too. They loved the pizza and the atmosphere! I’d rather cut back on other things than on a good meal out.
I really enjoy APP. It is one of the few good pizza places that delivers to my neighborhood and I am incredibly sympathetic to the rising food costs. I think a lot of people don’t realize or maybe forgot that in a space of about a month in Jan/Feb of 2008 the price of flour essentially tripled (it went from about 15 dollars for a 50 pounds sack to 50 dollars for that same sack) and many small food businesses took a serious hit. I know some bakeries ended up closing because they just couldn’t afford the prices.
We may not be able to have pizza all of the time (because everyone is feeling the pinch these days) but supporting a local business means that more of that money stays in the community and in turn it helps more people and in the end -you the consumer.
Personally I am willing to pay just a bit more for a good product and to keep local people employed.
Tried the pizza once, it was ok (bit of a pizza snob coming from chicago), not worth the $20 it cost. All about supporting local buisnesses, especially pizza, it was just way to expensive for what you got. Would definitly give it another chance. To have something that close that was affordable would be great. Will probably take a look on Sunday and see what you have to offer.
Kendra,
Thanks for taking the time to explain your pricing and the thin crust pricing (I too wondered why it was more expensive!). We love APP and generally do take out 1-2 times per month. Boo on anyone who commented about APP being kid friendly!! Anything has to be better than Madrona Pub where the pizza is $20 and takes 60 minutes to serve (and doesn’t taste that great).
Your wrong, Picoras Pizza crust is terrible, in comparison.
We love APP and think the pizza, salads, pasta and service are wonderful. I think the prices are very fair when you consider the high quality product.
Kedra, you’ve always been nothing but nice to our family since we first started coming in when George was a baby.
Kedra,
We were there on Friday night to a packed house! Awesome to see the support. We love your place. Our youngest son just simply calls it “The Dough Place”. Thank you for supporting the local baseball and soccer teams for end of year parties and post game dinners.
Hi Kedra-
I like your restaurant, and I would really miss it if it closed. Thank you so much for explaining why your costs are relatively high. And I love this back and forth between you and your patrons. You get a lot of points for being so open and available!
In that spirit, there is one other thing I’d like to mention– not to vent– but just to make you aware of it in case it costs you customers in these tight times. Sometimes when we’ve had dinner at APP, you seem to be stressed out or rushing, and it can come across as a little unfriendly. I am positive that isn’t your intention, but in a neighborhood, kid-friendly place, I think people expect to feel a bit more welcome. Part of it may be that many of us with children playing tend to be sensitive about whether others are irritated or tolerant of the activity and noise. (Not trying to start a debate about kids playing in restaurants, etc!)
Thanks for listening. I wish you the best!
The “Hula Hoop” is a Cole-Daum favorite and tonight I am certain I have never had better pizza than what I’m eating right now.