Manny Chacon, the owner of Two Jack's Pizza, prepares pizza pies for customers. Pizzas at Two Jack's are made with fresh ingredients. Customers can walk up by the kitchen and have a quick chat with whoever happens to be making their food. Oftentimes restaurant owner Chacon is the one making the pizza. (Photo by Elliott Miller.)
Provo has is known for having a lot of pizza. Good news though, Two Jack's Pizza in Provo makes sure pizza lovers don't have to settle for fast food.
'All our ingredients are fresh,' said restaurant owner Manny Chacon, 36. 'The pizza dough is never frozen.'
Two Jack's Pizza is a local, family-owned business that has been operating since 1984. Two Jack's has three locations: Provo, Springville and Spanish Fork.
The Provo location has been around for two and a half years, serving locals fresh pizza with personal interaction. Chacon makes some of the pizzas himself in a spacious kitchen with an open view into the rest of the restaurant. This setup allows for Chacon to easily have conversation with customers.
'I like interacting with my customers,' Chacon said. 'I say hi to them. I get to know them. All Two Jack's are the same way, you make the pizza right there in front of them.'
The name Two Jack's Pizza came about because of the original owner and business starter, Jack Gathercoal. Gathercoal's son was Jack Jr., hence two Jacks. What really sets Two Jack's apart from other pizza places is its flavor.
'(It's) the flavor of the crust,' Chacon said. 'It's homemade. It's fresh. It doesn't come out in perfect circles. The pizza has its own character because it's not made from a machine.'
Two Jack's has a unique history as well. When the business was started by Chacon's father-in-law, the original Jack of Two Jack's Pizza, it was founded on a secret recipe.
'The story my father-in-law tells, he says there was an old Italian guy in California,' Chacon said. '(The Italian) said, 'Come to my house, I have a good recipe that you can use to start your own business.' So (my father-in-law) got the recipe for the dough (and) the marinara sauce.'
For first-timers, Chacon recommends trying a famous Two Jacks exclusive: cheese sticks with homemade ranch dressing.
Two Jack's Pizza is a Utah-based restaurant chain that originated in Basin, Utah. The Provo location has been open for two and a half years. (Photo by Elliott Miller.)
'The cheese sticks are very popular,' Chacon said. 'People say that our ranch is the best. The ranch is homemade, so is the marinara, which is pretty good. The creamy Italian is also very good.'
Archaeology major Rachel Buckman has eaten the cheese sticks at Two Jack's and couldn't agree more.
'The cheese sticks are the best,' Buckman said. 'It's pretty much the only reason I go there.'
Two Jack's prices are student friendly, with monthly deals available to help reduce prices.
'I would wish it was a little bit cheaper, but it's reasonable,' said BYU film major Christina Loken. 'It's reasonable enough that I'll go. The cheese sticks are lovely and only four bucks a la carte.'
Two Jack's Pizza is located at 80 W. Center Street. Business hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday–Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant also delivers.