Since her mother closed Pizza Kwik in December 2017, Dana Huber-Plummer has had continuous requests to revive the popular family pizza business.
The wait is over.
Almost three years after it closed, Pizza Kwik reopened in Jefferson City last week - as a food truck.
"No matter where we lived, it always felt like Jefferson City would be the place we would get back to at some point," Huber-Plummer said. "It meant a huge deal to my parents, and it's great to be part of the community."
Originally located on East Miller Street, the restaurant closed after nearly 50 years in business.
Huber-Plummer's mother and father, Judy and Robert Huber, founded Pizza Kwik in 1969. After Robert died in 2015, Judy kept the business open until she retired in late 2017.
"It was bittersweet because it was not something we wanted to do, but my mom had some health issues and we were in Kansas," she said. "The building needed an awful lot of work, so it just seemed like the right decision at the time."
Almost three years later, Huber-Plummer, along with her son, Sam Plummer, decided it was time to revive the family's pizza legacy - with a twist.
With the family living in Wichita, Kansas, and the coronavirus pandemic causing financial strain on several businesses, Huber-Plummer said they knew a brick-and-mortar store was not an option for them.
The family found a food truck in Colorado that had brick ovens similar to the ones used at Pizza Kwik, sealing their idea of operating a food truck instead of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
"The response has been overwhelming, and we couldn't have asked for a better response from our former customers and even new people," Huber-Plummer said.
The Pizza Kwik food truck will serve its popular, homemade thin-crust pizzas - including pepperoni, sausage and mushroom, tuna and meat lover's - in Jefferson City and several surrounding communities, as well as in Wichita.
The food truck's hours will vary, but Huber-Plummer said they plan to be open for lunch and dinner, as well as for late-night pizza.
The family will post Pizza Kwik's schedule weekly on its Facebook page, facebook.com/pizzakwikfoodtruck.
The recipes will be the same, Huber-Plummer said, and customers will see a few familiar faces. Several family members, including Judy Huber, will help on the food truck.
Since announcing Pizza Kwik's return, Huber-Plummer said, people have contacted her to recall stories and memories at the popular pizza place.
"It was neat to see how much Pizza Kwik meant to so many people," Huber-Plummer said.
Know of any business happenings around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected].