March 23--A Spotsylvania County resident who started and sold Neibauer Dental Care is now trying to build a homegrown chain of drive-through pizza restaurants, with the first one planned in North Stafford.
Dr. Chris Neibauer and business partner Les Bullock are planning the region's first drive-through pizza restaurant at a former Bruster's Real Ice Cream and Nathan's Famous hot dog eatery in North Stafford.
Neibauer recently bought the 1,000-square-foot building at 428 Garrisonville Road through an LLC for $550,000. The Bruster's and Nathan's businesses there are now closed.
Vakos Real Estate President Brian Cunningham brokered the real estate deal.
The new business will be called Doc's Pizza. Its logo features a caricature of Neibauer. Additional locations are planned in the Fredericksburg area and beyond.
Doc's Pizza is targeting a May 14 opening in North Stafford following the permitting process and about a month of construction. Bullock, who formerly owned Little Caesars pizza stores in the area, will oversee operations. Bullock said there are drive-through pizza businesses in other areas outside the region.
Employees at Doc's Pizza will be dressed in medical scrubs. Customers will be able to order cheese and pepperoni pizza at the drive-through window along with wings, bread sticks, salads and sodas. They will also have the option of calling in orders for pizzas with various toppings and picking them up inside the building for carry out.
An LLC owned by Richmond-area resident Grey Jennings previously owned both the building and the Bruster's and Nathan's businesses in North Stafford.
The Bruster's and Nathan's eatery that Jennings owns at 10713 Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania will remain open for the next couple of months, but Jennings is under contract to sell that location also to Neibauer by the end of May. Jennings said he always planned to eventually sell when he got into the Bruster's business nine years ago. His background is in chemical engineering, and he continues to run a consulting company called Jennings Engineering.
Another Doc's Pizza is planned at the Courthouse Road location. Bullock said he and Neibauer are looking at a third location in the Fredericksburg area but didn't identify the site.
Bullock said the goal is to open 55 Doc's Pizza locations in the Mid-Atlantic region over the next five years.
Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405
