Pizzeria aims to be greener, one slice at a time

At Promise Pizza, owners Bill Bong and Boon Tea don't believe the stigma that pizza has to been greasy and unhealthy.

It's why they choose to use all-natural chicken and sausage from Applegate Farms, wheat crust and local produce that does not come from a can—even the pineapple on the Hawaiian Sunset pie is fresh-cut.

"We want to distinguish ourselves from the competition," Bong said. "We didn't want to be another pizza store."

Bong and Tea are just two of the owners who opened the first Promise Pizza location in 2009 in Round Rock to fill a need for better, healthier pizza, a trend that was slow to catch on.

"Not a lot of people believed in it when we started," Bong said.

Two years ago they opened the second location off US 183 at Great Hills Trail. Bong said the location is great because of the higher income base and dense population.

Now Bong said more customers are willing to pay higher prices for better food and leading a more quality lifestyle. The pizzeria's top seller is the Nature's Choice pizza, which is topped with only fresh vegetables.

"It's outselling the rest by a huge margin," Tea said.

Specialty pizzas are $7.95–$20.95 for sizes ranging from 8 inches to 16 inches. Bong said The Lonestar—piled with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, green peppers and tomatoes—is another top seller. He said customers also enjoy the cinnamon knots ($3.95 for six) and stuffed mushroom caps ($4.95 for eight).

Promise Pizza also sells calzones, sandwiches and salads and offers delivery, carryout or catering.

Promise Pizza's three promises

Provide a healthier pizza

• The stores use organic produce when they can and offer alternatives such as a wheat or gluten-free crust. Gluten-free dough comes from Austin-based Smart Flour Foods, and customers may choose a gluten-free crust for an additional $4–$5 on a regular 10-inch or medium 12-inch pizza.

Eco-friendly approach

• Besides using Smart cars to deliver pizzas, Bill Bong said the Round Rock store uses 100 percent renewable energy. Instead of gutting the Great Hills store and building out from scratch, they reused materials from the previous business.

Community involvement

• The business has gotten involved with Austin and Round Rock ISDs. Promise Pizza will sell pizzas at cost during school events, such as RRISD's annual carnival and international night, to promote healthier food. In Austin ISD, the business gives students a free pizza for achieving a certain amount of required reading.

Promise Pizza

10225 Research Blvd., Ste. 110 | 512-345-7492

www.promisepizza.com | Twitter: @promisepizza

Hours: Sun.–Thu. 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 10 a.m.–11 p.m.