While the pizzeria’s classic service and offerings are staying the same, the restaurant has begun a new era in the management. Jerry Strader, one of the business’ founders, has retired, leaving his children Chris, Carly and Chad Strader at the helm.
“We’ve always been the sons and daughter of the owner, and now we have for the first time an opportunity to really dive in and run the restaurant the way we’ve always wanted to,” Chris said. “We’ve worked every job from pizza maker to manager, and now we’re finding our footing in new roles.”
Carly said the restaurant has a vintage, old-school Austin personality. That nostalgia continues to drive customers back who have been loyal since their college days. The restaurant’s most popular pizzas are deep-pans made with a whole-wheat crust, but the brand is also known for the variety of dough and pies offered, including gluten free and vegan options, she said.
The Savage, a deep-pan pizza with almost every topping offered, is the restaurant’s signature. Other offerings include salads, appetizers, oven-roasted chicken wings and calzones.
As the warrior-themed cartoon artwork on the walls might suggest, the Conans name is a reference to comic-book figure Conan the Barbarian, Chris said. At the chain’s peak, Conans had eight locations in Central Texas including one near the University of Texas campus, he said.
In 2018, the UT-area location closed due to troubles finding staff, Chris said. Two locations remain—the one in North Austin and one south of the Colorado River, which is managed by a different group, he said.
“We’re fortunate that we brought on several new good hires last year,” Chris said. “We have a core base of pizza ninjas who have worked here for a while, so it’s moving in the right directions. As long as our loyal customers keep coming through the doors we’ll keep serving gourmet pizzas.”
Conans Pizza North
2438 W. Anderson Lane, Austin
512-459-3221
www.conanspizza.com
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight
