Pizza Today - February 2022 - 56

T
he timing proved to
be a bit suspect at first.
While the company is
now on sound footing
with three stores and new
developments in the works, Eno's
opened in 2008 during some very
difficult economic times.
" In 2008 there was a stock
market crash, and we opened one
week after that, "
co-owner Donna Spillers says.
" News people were down here
interviewing us like 'what do you
think you're going to do with a
new restaurant right now?' "
There was hope, though.
Literally a campaign full of
hope made a mark on the Dallas
neighborhood.
" In 2008 Barack Obama was
running for the first time for
President, " says Donna. " What
really put this place on the map
was there was a contingency
of people that lived down here
who decided this neighborhood
was going to be the Democratic
watch party for all of Dallas.
" They closed down the streets
and there were news crews from
different countries set up right
here in the alley. My son Matt,
that went to culinary school, said
'We have all these people out on
the streets. Let's set up some beer
stations and set up with beer and
pizza outside. At that time this
area was dry, so someone who
wanted any kind of alcohol had
to have a membership. I'm telling
you there were thousands of
people here. Thousands. The tips
alone that night in this building
were thousands of dollars.
People came here from all states
and different countries. It was
incredible. And that's really how
people started knowing about
Bishop Arts. "
Slowly but surely word got
out about Eno's and the business
enjoyed a steady rise.
" Our business started at a
trickle. We only opened for
dinner for the first maybe six
months, " Donna says. " And then
it felt like it would be okay to
open for lunch. So maybe after
about a year-and-a-half we
started to be really busy. Other
business started coming in and
there was a slow and healthy
build. "
When opening for lunch
service, the Eno's crew quickly
learned the new daypart is an
entirely different ballgame.
" We had to start doing
personal size pizza, " explains
Donna. " We call it the Lunch
Special, and we grouped an 8- or
10-inch personal pizza with a
soup or salad and a beverage. It
took us a while to figure it out.
At first, we were making our
full-sized pizzas, and it was kind
of a mobile lunch buffet. Instead
of setting it out we would carry
it around and let people have as
much as they wanted when they
were ready. It was crazy! It was a
lot of labor and it created a lot of
anxiety with the staff, so we had
to do it a different way. And the
lunch specials have worked out
well. "
Before 2008, the Spillers
were involved in restaurant
interior design.
" We started that in 1975 and
did that until 2008, " Donna says.
Allen was an interior designer
for a high-end residential
design firm and had designed a
residence for a gentleman with
whom he became friends.
" He never alluded to what
business he was in at first, " recalls
Donna. " He just said he was in
construction. He didn't tell us he
had a chain of restaurants. "
The client, Ken Selby, had
turned Ken's Pizza in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, into the Mazzio's
Pizza Today - February 2022

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