Blackjack Pizza might be a franchise with 42 locations (and counting, according to its website), but it remains loyal to its fresh, homemade roots.
“Everything we do is fresh,” franchise owner Dale Roberts said in a conversation with What Now. “80% of our pizzas are hand-tossed originals. We make our own dough in house. We hand cut all the veggies for our pizzas and salads. We don’t have margins like big brands, but quality is the most important thing at Blackjack.”
Roberts, who has been in the pizza business for 35 years, already owns franchises in Longmont, Loveland, and Fort Collins. The owner will be launching a new location at 4206 S. College Ave., #107 (per a building permit application) aiming to open sometime in January 2023 (according to Roberts).
The new, 1,400 square foot store will specialize in carryout and delivery, essentially connecting the delivery breach between Colorado State University and Longmont.
“Fort Collins is very large. We originally opened there in 1985 (at 1501 W. Elizabeth St.) It’s one of the original (Blackjack) stores,” Roberts said. “The town has grown, and parts of it are just unserviceable. It’s hard to maintain high standards and service with some of those runs. With a new store we can serve more neighborhoods. It essentially fills the gap between Loveland and Fort Collins.”
Pizza lovers have several fresh options at Blackjack: hand-tossed round pizza, deep-dish pan pizza, and calzones. There are six different salads, cheesebread, wings, and boneless wings to accompany pies. And for dessert — Cinnabread, chocolate chip and brown dessert pizza, and Blue Bell ice cream should round out meals for any and all hungry customers.
Blackjack will maintain similar hours as its other Fort Collins location — 10 a.m. to 12 a.m., Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
