Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse opened its newest location at Sheridan’s River Point shopping center on Jan. 18, part of a wave of openings for the Colorado-based chain.
The New York-style pizza place is taking Old Chicago’s former spot between Sportsman’s Warehouse and Burlington in the sprawling shopping center just west of Santa Fe Drive and south of Highway 285.
Beyond pizzeria staples like calzones and Buffalo wings, Parry’s also features items like Italian nachos, king-size pretzels — and a mighty craft beer selection, with 60 drafts on tap.
Thanks to a pre-approval into Arapahoe County’s 5-Star indoor dining program, Parry’s is already well-positioned on COVID protocols, said Nate Lyon, the chain’s spokesperson.
“That means daily temperature checks for the staff, and high-end air filtration” inside the restaurant, Lyon said.
The Sheridan location is the chain’s fourth opening since COVID began, Lyon said, an anomaly in a time that has seen more restaurant closings than openings.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate,” he said. “Pizza translates to takeout better than seafood or steaks, and we’ve done pretty well.”
Parry’s opened its first location near Parker in 2007 and now includes 11 Colorado locations, with more in Texas and the Carolinas.
Originally slated to open in November, the Sheridan location’s grand opening had to be pushed back to January after a fresh round of state-level COVID restrictions shut down indoor dining again.
“It was a bummer to push back the start date for all the great people we hired, but fortunately most of them stuck it out and waited for us,” said Carrie Shaw, the Sheridan location’s general manager. Shaw previously managed a Parry’s location in Greenwood Village. “I’m a mom, and my staff feel like my kids. We have a great team here.”
The pizzeria’s grand opening bash made a nice birthday dinner for Lisa Sullivan, who was splitting an appetizer platter with her friend and fellow Swedish Medical Center nurse Nancy Panger.
“It’s nice to sit inside and eat at a real restaurant again,” Sullivan said. “Who doesn’t love deep-fried pickles for their birthday?”