'It's bittersweet': Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn closes

After serving countless customers with its family-friendly atmosphere for nearly 50 years, the owners of Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn have decided to close the restaurant.

Nick Cavis, the owner of the restaurant, said the closure does not come without a feeling of sadness. He said after nearly 50 years of being in business, it just felt like it was time to close Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn. He said that after his parents, who were the original owners, passed away, running the restaurant felt different.

"My dad was the cornerstone of the restaurant and it just never felt quite the same," Nick Cavis said. "Then we got a little bit older, and we wanted to keep going, but it's just a rough business."

Angela and Tony Cavis passed away in January 2020 and July 2020, respectively.

Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn is located at 5600 Lapeer Road in Kimball Township. The last day of operation was Tuesday.

Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn was originally opened in 1974 by Tony and Angela Cavis. Nick Cavis said he and his brother, Jimmy, started working at the restaurant when they were 14 and 12. He said he remembers when the restaurant just opened, and his mother was worried the restaurant would not make it because Kimball Township did not have a lot of activity at the time.

However, after a couple of years, the Cavis family actually had to expand the building because of customer demand.

Many of the recipes used were passed down through the Cavis family. Carmen Cavis said the recipes were all unique and being able to bring them to the community was a beautiful thing.

Nick Cavis, Carmen Cavis and their son, Anthony Cavis said they will miss the restaurant, especially the customers. Anthony Cavis said they were not even customers, but instead were like family. He said it's sad to let go of the past and all the memories made, but he's also excited for what the future holds.

"It's bittersweet," Anthony Cavis said. "We can continue on as a family to make memories and spend time together, but it will be weird. I've been here ever since I could put an apron on."

Anthony Cavis is 19 years old, and Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn was his first job.

Carmen Cavis said she will miss the customers the most. She wishes the restaurant could keep going, but she also said it was just time. It was a lot of persistent, hard work, but it was worth it.

"It was nice to see generations of families coming to eat here together," Carmen Cavis said.

Carmen Cavis said they are going to try to sell as much as possible on the last day. Additionally, she said she planned to give out free pie to customers.

With the restaurant closing, Nick Cavis said he will now have more time to do things with his family. When the restaurant was open, he said his work week could be upward of 70 hours. He said he's missed a lot of family events over the years. Nick Cavis said he's looking forward to seeing his nephew graduate over the weekend.

Cavis Pioneer Pizza Inn will continue as a restaurant, but under different ownership. Nick Cavis said a longtime customer decided to buy the building for their son, who recently graduated from culinary school. Nick Cavis said he wishes them great success. Further information on the new owner was not immediately available.

Nick Cavis said he's going to miss shutting off the ovens at the end of the night, sitting at the restaurant bar and drinking a cold beer with customers. He said that will be the last thing he does when the restaurant officially closes.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.