Rena's Pizza finally finds a new home

Rena Dorr has found a home for Rena's Pizza.

Ever since her restaurant on West Town Street in Norwich was forced to close four years ago when the building was sold and later demolished, Dorr has been itching to find a new place. Loyal customers would call her to ask when and where she was going to reopen. Employees also hoped to come back to work for her. She kept all her restaurant equipment in storage, hoping and planning to open again.

She looked at every suitable available building in Norwich, but nothing "felt like home." She called the owners of the vacant former Preston Dairy Bar and Preston Pizza building at the busy corner of routes 2 and 2A, but at the time, the owner didn't want to sell.

In December, the bank that foreclosed on that building called her back, and Dorr checked it out.

"I looked everywhere," Dorr said last week. "It had to feel like home. This does."

Dorr purchased the building for $205,000 from Bayview Loan Servicing of Gables Fla. on Dec. 1 and a week later transferred title to 154 Route 2 LLC, named for the building's address. Her son-in-law Tom Makris and daughter Julie Makris, who run a sports bar in Springfield, Mass, have been helping with the renovations. They tore out the carpet, stripped furniture, will install new tiles and Dorr's restaurant equipment and put finishing touches on the inside before opening the doors.

The sign recently went up on Route 2: "Coming Soon. Rena's Pizza." That was good enough to attract attention. Former customers have been stopping in and wishing her well. Longtime Preston residents are telling her how much they've missed the old Preston Dairy Bar, owned by Isaac Pastor, and hope she does well.

Nearly a dozen of her former employees are coming back, including longtime cooks and wait staff. Because the new location is double the size of her former restaurant, with seating for about 100, she likely will have to hire about 20 employees.

Dorr plans to open by Valentine's Day and hopes to hold a party for her workers, employees and Preston town officials just before opening to show her gratitude for all their help.

"Town Hall has been so good," Dorr said. "Every time I had a question they had an answer. All the inspectors came out and told me what I needed to do. They have been very helpful. It's just been so great."

Dorr, who lives in Norwich, is not concerned about losing touch with her Norwich base. Preston and Norwich are closely-tied communities, she said. Preston students attend Norwich Free Academy, and Preston children play in Norwich Little League. She looks forward to sponsoring youth sports once again.

Dorr, 69, owned and operated Rena's Pizza for 27 years before it closed. Before that, she had worked for many years in restaurants. At one point, she decided, "I want to work for myself." Friends in the pizza restaurant business were eager to help. Longtime friend, Spero Vitouladitis, former owner of Great Oak Pizza in Norwich and Montville, took her by the hand, encouraged her and taught her the restaurant business and how to make Greek-style pizza.

The owner of a Hartford restaurant taught her how to make New York-style pizza.

Once again, Rena's Pizza will offer both styles, Dorr said. Greek pizza dough is thicker and the pizza is cooked in a pan. New York style pizza has thinner crust, is cooked directly on a brick, with cornmeal spread beneath the dough and a sweeter sauce.

Rena's new menu will look familiar to regular customers, with pizza and pasta dishes, rotisserie chicken and favorite soups. She'll add paninis, a new favorite. She kept her smoker in storage with the other equipment, so smoked meat will again be a featured item. She can't recreate Preston Dairy's great locally made ice cream, but Rena's always offered milkshakes and will again, Dorr said.

The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner and perhaps for breakfast.

"I'm seriously considering breakfast," Dorr said. "This was such an iconic breakfast place."

c.bessette@theday.com