There’s a new drive-thru restaurant in Milton and it’s far from a corporate-backed chain.
Just A Pizza My Mind has opened its first brick-and-mortar shop, located on Milton Way just west of Meridian Avenue East in a former Gravity Coffee location the owners have nicknamed “Grey.”
Melissa and Samuel Ranz started their pizza business as a solo food truck, called “Jackie,” in 2022, bakin’ up wood-fired pizzas with playful ingredient combos that have garnered a loyal fan base. They added a second truck, “Kitty,” to the crew earlier this year, but a drive-thru had always been on their mind.
It’s also a serendipitous homecoming for the entrepreneurial couple, who met while working for a corporate pizza chain just down the street. They didn’t fit into the boxy culture, they said, and set off to create their own adventure with pizza as their muse. Samuel was also raised in Milton.
Because they churn out pizzas pretty quickly (the average wood-fired pie takes about 90 seconds in the oven), the concept fit the drive-thru model. Food trucks are great in that they’re mobile, but just like a car, they can be expensive to upkeep. They also learned that some customers prefer a fixed location with set hours. The Ranzes liked the former coffee shop because it was already built for foodservice, although it still required plenty of updates to accommodate the oven, coolers and sinks. Importantly, it already had a drive-thru, which can be difficult to add to an existing structure due to traffic impacts.
Just A Pizza My Mind in Milton won’t have an espresso machine, the Ranzes told The News Tribune in April, but it will offer cold-brew coffee, energy drinks and dirty sodas for folks who might just want a drive-thru drink.
Among the “puffz,” a cheesy-bread situation, the Kitty Puffz blends olive oil, mozz and cheddar cheese with dill-seasoned Lumberjack Popcorn, intended to be scooped with house dips — ranch, creamy pesto, even sweet Dijon. Among the 10-inch round pies, the Sacre Bleu starts with Swiss then gets diced ham, chicken, panko, “pizza cheez” and a sweet Dijon drizzle, while the KrustyKrab gets wild with beef, bacon, onions and pickles plus a burger-inspired sauce. (Just A Pizza My Mind actually slings several pickle pies!) They offer classic-ish styles, too, such as the Pineapple Express with ham, bacon and pineapple or the Childhood Dreamin,’ their spin on chicken-bacon-ranch with pepperjack cheese and chili flakes.
The menu features more than 20 signature pies (most $14-$19), including a rotating special and two dessert options (apple-caramel-brown sugar, for instance).
During the grand opening, Oct. 17-19, customers will receive a raffle ticket for every item purchased — and the winners will receive a year of free pizza. They will also reward randomly selected orders, either by order-number or certain pies, with special merch.
Moving forward, the Milton drive-thru will operate daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Just A Pizza My Mind - Milton
253-534-9596
Service Areas
