Sep. 4—CHEYENNE — Billy Jack's Pizza Pub will be there, whether you're coming, going or just looking for a bite and a beer.
On Wednesday, the small-chain restaurant whose parent company is based out of Kearney, Nebraska, opened its third location, its second in Cheyenne, in the Cheyenne Regional Airport, 420 Airport Parkway West, Suite 1.
Originally, this location was scheduled to open in 2021 in tandem with the company's storefront on South Greeley Highway, which is only operational via delivery and pickup. With construction delays hindering in the airport location's schedule, the grand opening was pushed back until now.
The new airport location will have full dine-in service as well as a unique breakfast menu to accommodate for travelers. This will also be the first pizza restaurant in the city to open its doors at 5 a.m., in an effort to accommodate for those earlier flights from here to Denver International Airport.
Billy Jack's was competing for this airport location from the start, according to founder and CEO Bill Winberg. While it was always a part of the business plan to secure this location, he told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Thursday, it's still an exciting step.
"It's still very exciting to have the success and be able to grow as fast as we are," Winberg said. "There's a really good following up there already. Hopefully, the word will spread, because everybody loves the food and loves the atmosphere."
Due to the small size of this airport, Winberg has a unique expectation for the restaurant, one that airport Director of Aviation Tim Bradshaw apparently shares with him. Just like the restaurant that was featured within the airport's original terminal on East 8th Avenue, they expect the majority of the client base to be non-travelers.
"With the following that we have, we're pretty confident that it will become something like that," Winberg said. "We're all very familiar with the old Cloud Nine and how successful it was. We're hoping that we can create that same type of scenario for this."
But why is a Kearney, Nebraska-based pizza chain now outnumbering the outlets in their original location's city with two stores in Cheyenne?
Simple. Winberg is a University of Wyoming graduate. The majority of Billy Jack's shareholders are based in the Cheyenne area.
With this kind of support, the hope is that the airport and Billy Jack's can develop a symbiotic relationship. The restaurant will give the relatively new airport more exposure, and the traffic of travelers and unique location for a community restaurant will attract customers.
The location also secured a bar and grill license, and provides a full-service bar. It is fully open to the public and customers do not have to be traveling to dine.
Billy Jack's Pizza & Pub is open from 5 a.m.-10 p.m. every day. This location does not provide delivery or carry-out service.
Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.
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