2/21/2010 6:00:00 AM Roman Candle opens pizzeria in Fitchburg
Fitchburg’s newest pizzeria is a colorful, fun place to dine, according to co-owner Tom Cranley.
Aaron Swanum Unified Newspaper Group
If you are looking for a family-friendly, yet modern and fun pizzeria, Roman Candle in Fitchburg fits the bill. The 1,600 square-foot restaurant at 2685 Research Park Drive recently opened and is already seeing a steady flow of business. The new location is the third Roman Candle pizzeria in the Madison area. Owners Tom Cranley and Breuer Stouffer opened their first Roman Candle on Madison’s east side in 2005. Cranley said the new restaurant has received a “great reception from the Fitchburg community.” “We have had some great reviews and heard a lot of positive things,” Cranley said. “People have really thanked us for bringing Roman Candle here.” The Fitchburg location not only serves the Fitchburg community, but also offers delivery service to Oregon and Verona. The restaurant features a mix of different lighting styles, multi-colored ceiling tiles and light covers. “Our color scheme is playful, fun and energetic,” Cranley said. “We have a very modern look and are a mixture of cozy and modern.” The dining room also has plenty of bench seating with low backs in order to offer a more “interactive environment,” he said. The purpose of the open seating is to offer people a better chance to converse with friends and family, while seeing what else is going on in the restaurant. “We have lots of cross-speaking interaction in our restaurants.” Interaction is important to Cranley and is something he and Stouffer emphasize for both from staff and customers. “We really enjoy interacting with the customers,” Cranley said. “Customers like to speak and work directly with the owners.” There’s even a fireplace with two large flat screen TVs above it on each side. As for the TVs, Cranley said they are on just for big sporting events and will “hardly” be on during dinner. The restaurant features a kids play area with numerous toys, and children get a small set of Legos brought to them at the table. Cranley said on weekends, the TV in the kids area may have cartoons. “Fitchburg is very family-orientated and we felt this would be a great addition to Fitchburg and this neighborhood,” he said. “This offers parents a chance to get out for an hour or so for dinner or even a drink and still be close to home instead of having to drive to downtown Madison.” A 400-square-foot outdoor patio will be well used in the warmer months. The patio will be half beer garden and half regular seating. Cranley said for decorative purposes, hops will be grown and there will be “German wooden style seating.” Additional features include a party room that can be rented out for private parties or used for business meetings. It even includes a projector screen. The party room will also serve as space for overflow seating. Starting in April there will be a Sunday Brunch, which Cranley said will have baked items, quiche, potatoes, veggies and baked sweets. And there will be a number of breakfast pizzas served. A Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream at the entrance to the restaurant provides dessert, too. Cranley and Stouffer have done much of the work inside their various locations, including building the benches. “Breuer and I love to design and build. This was a really fun one to build,” Cranley said. As the business offerings continue to grow in the Research Park Drive area, Cranley said he wants Roman Candle to be a destination location. “We are hoping we can help attract some more locally owned businesses,” he said. What sets Roman Candle apart from other pizzerias? It’s what’s in the pizza, said Cranley. “We provide a healthier pizza,” he said. Roman Candle offers a multitude of different styles of pizzas and ingredients and has options for vegetarians and vegans. He added they soon will have a gluten-free crust available. Along with the healthier options and ingredients, Cranley tries to source ingredients from local providers. “We are a healthy pizzeria looking to reach a large audience while very community involved,” he said. “We really want to stress that we are a community based healthy pizzeria.” The food is made fresh daily and “our recipes reach today’s palates,” he said. Cranley noted that pizzerias generally aren’t known for having an “upbeat, festive atmosphere,” but Roman Candle is: “Our decor is clean and fun.” With the warmer weather just around the corner, the beer garden should offer “a real fun summer experience,” Cranley said. “We want it to be a fun and unique experience.” Roman Candle is open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on weekdays. The Fitchburg location is open on Saturdays and in March will be open on Sundays as well. To place an order or to learn weekend hours, call 278-1111.
