A former golf pro and his partner have teamed to bring Hometown Pizza to Scio Twp. Later this year, the shop will include Under Par Simulators, allowing golfers to get in their swings in a realistic indoor environment.
Alex Willnow of Adrian, formerly the head golf pro at the club now known as Hills of Lenawee, worked winters for a friend at Midway Market, a convenience store that’s also home to one of three family-owned Hometown Pizzas in the area.
He eventually bought that location, and with a young employee-turned-partner, Hunter Comstock, renovated its pole barn into a two-bay golf simulator. Customers rent bays by the hour to play a virtual course. Motion-capture cameras and high-end displays help create an immersive experience.
“Nowadays, they’re pretty much insane in terms of how accurate they’ve made them and how realistic the graphics are,” Willnow says. “It’s become so popular, and it’s so realistic that even the pros will utilize it.” Three bays are under construction at the Jackson Rd. location.
Meanwhile, Comstock has moved from an apartment above Midway Market to the Ypsilanti area to focus on building their pizza business. They tout their signature dough, made fresh daily, with a parmesan/garlic crust. The standard hand-tossed rounds are medium in thickness, with thin crust and two gluten-free options available. They hand-shred blocks of Wisconsin mozzarella and prep toppings daily as well.
Willnow says they’ve introduced themselves to neighboring businesses by bringing them their best-known specialty: a breakfast pizza topped with scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, bacon, and cheese.
“It’s a different breakfast option, especially for businesses that, let’s say, pick up a dozen donuts once a week or something,” he says.
They also offer eight- and sixteen-inch subs, calzones, salads, chicken wings, and four types of breadsticks. Frequent specials and both in-house and third-party delivery are also part of their business model, as is community engagement. Willnow says they’ve already done dine-to-donate fundraisers for the Dexter schools since opening in January.
Hometown Pizza & Under Par Simulators, 5060 Jackson Rd., ste. G. (734) 369–9303. Mon.–Thurs. 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–8:30 p.m. hometownpizzami.hungerrush.com
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