Pizza Today - February 2022 - 57

Pizza brand. And it was growing
very quickly. In fact, according to
the Mazzio's Pizza Web site, the
concept ballooned to more than
150 stores in a dozen states.
" We started working on the
design of his restaurants, " Donna
recalls. " And he was building
fast! We'd do three to four new
Mazzio's per month. We did
all the furniture packages, the
finishes ... and we'd keep the
cycle going. "
Eventually, some Mazzio's
franchisees who liked their work
would ask the Spillers' to take on
other projects.
" Some of the franchisees
had other brands they were
franchisees for as well, " she says.
" So, we were really, really busy.
When we traveled, we homeschooled
our kids and took them
with us, so they were exposed to
all of that. "
Walk into the 1920s-era
building and a sense of " this
just belongs here " immediately
hits you. With its wood floors,
New England-inspired tables
and nooks and crannies from the
design of that time, one can't help
but think " this place was meant
to be a tavern. " The fact Eno's
specializes in tavern-style pizza
makes it unique in Dallas.
The pizza is as cracker-thin as
it can get. A throwback to the
tavern pies many Chicagoans
grew up on. In fact, the recipe
mimics one from Chicago.
" We had a friend from
Chicago. His son was one of my
son's football teammates in high
school, " Donna says. " The dad
would invite the whole team over
and make pizza, and it was this
exact recipe. He had worked in
a pizzeria with some Sicilians in
Chicago when he was younger.
Now we live next door to that
family. But the dad would even
put cornmeal on the bottom so
it doesn't stick. That's a really
delicious element that's added. "
The friend taught the Spillers
how to make the pizza and
assisted with scaling it for the
masses.
" They worked on it a long
time, " says Donna. " He would
come into our restaurant before
we opened and work with us to
get it right. It took about a week
of trial and error to get the recipe
right. "
While the tavern pie is the
star of the show, the Eno's menu
features a full array of offerings.
Soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta
dishes and a variety of appetizers
complement the pizza. From
truffle cheese bread to Chicken
Cacciatore to Texas beef and boar
meatballs, there's something for
everyone.
One of the largest challenges
Eno's faces, the tough labor
market notwithstanding, is
supplying its stores with that
cracker-thin crust. In order
to help with consistency, fuel
future growth and loosen labor
costs, the company is planning
a commissary that will take the
burden off its kitchens.
" It's time, " Donna says. " We
have some things down the road
we want to do and having the
commissary will help us achieve
those things. And our crust is so
thin that it's quite a process to get
it that thin. We don't even cut it
into slices because it's so thin that
you can't manage it. So, we cut
it into rectangles so that it won't
droop and be too flimsy when
you pick it up. The commissary
will make it much easier for
everyone. "
A Conversation
with Shane Spillers
Eno's has so much going on that we
simply could not fit it all into one article!
To that end, we present to you Episode
79 of our Hot Slice podcast, featuring
Eno's Pizza Tavern co-owner Shane
Spillers. Shane talks concept, expansion,
staffing and dishes on the coming
commissary his mother mentions in the
article. Check it out at PizzaToday.com.
JEREMY WHITE is Editor-in-Chief at
Pizza Today.
FEBRUARY 2022 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 57
http://www.PizzaToday.com http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
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