Although married couple Debbie and Paul Gainor have owned Pizza Zone—located on Louetta Road—for 19 years, their passion for pizza did not follow the same path.

Paul said he entered the pizza business after high school, working part time in the kitchen and making deliveries at various pizza diners, including 14 years at Domino’s Pizza.

“I liked it when I started doing it, and I still enjoy it,” he said. “I always wanted to have my own business.”

Meanwhile, Debbie said she had no intention of pursuing pizza.

“I had my last kitchen job when I was 19 years old, and I said, ‘I will never, ever work in [the] food [industry] again,’” she said.

But after Paul and Debbie married, they opened Pizza Zone in 2000 at the corner of Kuykendahl Road and Cypresswood Drive, serving make-your-own and specialty pizzas, salads, calzones, wings and pasta for dine in, delivery and carryout.

The couple originally leased a 1,200-square-foot space that was formerly a Domino’s Pizza, Paul said. But as business grew, it became clear they needed to revamp, he said.

“We were busting at the seams,” he said.

In 2017, they relocated to the Louetta location and expanded, growing from 27 employees to 42, Debbie said.

“We make pizzas like they used to make pizzas 40 years ago when I started,” he said. “We just make it with better-quality ingredients.”

Since the eatery first opened, Paul said the menu has hardly changed.

“We still make the dough in the back of the store every day,” Paul said. “We use the same cheese, the same pizza sauce, the same pepperoni that we’ve been using since the beginning.”

Pizza Zone 4660 Louetta Road, Ste. 130, Spring 281-288-8500 www.pizzazone.cc  Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.