Eyes on Enterprise: Ottawa pizza place rebrands

Pizzas by Marchelloni in Ottawa is rebranding and has a new name, ALFI’s Pizza.

“It’s going to be the same menu we have now,” said owner Albert Banushi, adding he’s been making his own changes to the menu the last few years.

“The whole rebranding was done so we could better serve our customers and to give us the flexibility to do that and make it our own,” he said.

Additions will be made to the menu in the future, such as speciality pizzas and mozzarella cheese for some items.

The new name comes from Albert’s first name and his wife Fiona’s first name.

“My wife is the curator. She’s the one who makes this place go,” he said. “It’s her dough and it’s her recipes.”

The Banushis opened Marchelloni’s at 424 W. Main St., Suite 2B, in Ottawa almost three years ago. Banushi said his father was in the restaurant business for years, so he grew up seeing the ins and outs.

“I learned a lot from him and his work ethic, so I thought now that he’s retired would be a good time to teach my kids.”

A dining area is in the works in the adjacent space.

The new website is alfispizza.com and the phone number is 815-431-9620.

Verucchi’s Restaurant is no longer open Tuesdays.

The restaurant at 600 N. Greenwood St., Spring Valley, also changed its Sunday hours to 3 to 8 p.m.

The changes were made to give the staff a reprieve, according to a Facebook post on the business’ page.

“We want to continue serving the greater Illinois Valley to the best of our abilities and we hope these changes will allow us to do just that,” read the post.

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