Pleasure Doing Business: Anytime Pizza

There's a new option for Gulfport residents who get the urge for tasty food in the late hours of the night or early hours of the morning.

Anytime Pizza opened their newest location on Beach Boulevard in Gulfport on Feburary 17.

Anytime Pizza is a local pizza restaurant known in the South Pinellas area for having unique pizzas and late hours. During the week, they're open until 3:30 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday, they stay open until 4:30 a.m.

The location in Gulfport is the third restaurant to be opened and Thomas Coelho is doing something a little different with this spot. While the other locations focus more on delivery, Coelho is thinking that around 50 percent of the Gulfport location's revenue will come from customers dining in.

The new Anytime Pizza moved into the old Dominic's Pizzeria location and has kept much of the set-up the same, Coelho said. The main difference will be a new high temperature oven to be installed to match the ovens at the other locations.

The concept behind Anytime Pizza began when Coelho moved down to Florida from Chicago.

“I come from a big city background with 24-hour diners where the concept of being able to eat what you want, when you want has always been a part of my life,” Coelho said.

Coelho wanted to give people the opportunity to get food delivered late like he had experienced in Chicago so he opened the first Anytime Pizza at 22nd Avenue South and 34th Street in the beginning of 2010.

“Fourteen months later and we have 50 plus employees in three stores in a bad economy. We're blessed and we're proud,” Coelho said.

Besides having a focus on late-night food and delivery, Anytime Pizza also makes sure that their pizza is tasty, local and healthier than the big chain pizza restaurants, Coelho said.

“Every salad dressing, every sauce, every dessert is made from scratch,” Coelho said.

None of the Anytime Pizzas have normal kitchen appliances like freezers or microwaves so everything is fresh, Coelho said. They try to buy locally grown Florida produce for making their pizzas, but the recent freeze has forced them to outsource a bit.

Before Anytime Pizza opened up, Coelho had to get approved by Gulfport. What looked like it could be a stressful ordeal turned out for the best, Coelho said.

“I literally had town inspectors here doing my doggy dining permits and my outdoor dining permits at 4 p.m. to ensure I was open today (Feburary 17). I consider them an ally and not a foe,” Coelho said.

Coelho is looking forward to having his newest location in Gulfport and has enjoyed the city since he's been in Florida.

“I think Beach Boulevard in Gulfport is the greatest example of main street America that exists in south Pinellas county,” Coelho said.

Anytime Pizza is planning on doing an official grand opening next weekend.