For Vishee and Jenna Mandahar, the journey started when they met in seventh grade.
“It’s a love story mixed with pizza,” Vishee Mandahar said. “Our favorite thing to do all the time was eating pizza and eating sandwiches. We’re typical New Yorkers.”
They started dating shortly after, and in 2015, they opened the first Krave It in Queens. They now have six locations in New York City.
And in May, the couple will debut their menu across the street from Coors Field.
“We’ve become world famous for our pizza and sandwiches,” Vishee Mandahar said, noting the notoriety of their fried Oreo pizza in China and Germany. “What we’re bringing to Denver is going to be a whole new style. It’s gonna be a culture shock to everybody, in a good way.”
Krave It will open at 2210 Blake St., next door to The Cherry Cricket.
It won’t be the first out-of-state, wacky topping joint in the 2,500-square-foot space. Ian’s Pizza, the Wisconsin-based chain known for its mac and cheese pies, closed due to flood damage in 2023 and announced last year it would not reopen.
The Krave It restaurant will be operated by franchisee Harry Ghotra, a Queens native who moved to Denver eight years ago.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s always been something I was craving. I always wanted to get an N.Y.-style slice,” Ghotra said. “This is a great opportunity to bring something from home to here.”
Ghotra also plans to open an Aurora location. And a Krave It is in the works in Longmont, although that one will have different ownership.
The Ballpark joint will be the biggest Krave It to date and the only one with a bar, Vishee Mandahar said. The New York stores mainly offer takeout, with the smallest around 650 square feet.
“We wanted to come out to the West Coast,” he said. “And after some demographic research, we just felt like Denver was the area to come to.”
Vishee Mandahar said the white truffle chicken pizza and Godmother sandwich, a chicken cutlet with vodka sauce and pepperoni, are two favorites in New York.
“We’re gonna get to know you within the first five minutes, we’re gonna shove pizza down your throat, and we’re gonna be best friends by the time you leave,” he said. “We want people to come before the game, after the game and even on nongame days.”
This story was originally published on BusinessDen.
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