Mellow Mushroom pizza to open in former Dutch’s Tavern space

If you can believe it, Louisville is getting yet another pizza concept.

Mellow Mushroom, a 130-store pizza chain based in based in Atlanta, is planning the May opening of a franchise unit in what once was Dutch’s Tavern (3922 Shelbyville Road).

Technically, the dine-in pizzeria (click here for its website, click here for its Facebook page) will also consume the spaces to the left and right of Dutch’s to make a 220-seat facility spanning 6,000 square feet—about double the size of the average new restaurant.

Franchisee Jason Nase said he’s wanted a Louisville store for some time, and that being married to a Kentucky gal gave him the nudge he needed to make the move here.

“I’ve worked for our corporate office for three years, and that’s on top of another eight years with Mellow Mushroom in Florida,” said Nase, whose wife is from Henderson, Ky. He’s partnering on this pizzeria with Damon Coates, a Mellow Mushroom in Lexington. “From what we’ve seen, St. Matthews will be a great fit for us. It’s really booming right now.”

And especially when it comes to pizza. In less than two years—and in addition to Saints and the usual chain pizza shops—the area has witnessed the opening of Coals Artisan Pizza, DiOrio’s Pizza and Spinelli’s Pizzeria. Within about the same time frame Snappy Tomato Pizza (where Spinelli’s is now) and Naked Pizza have come and gone, and about a mile away in Crescent Hill, Tony Boombozz Pizzeria was upgraded to a full-service Boombozz Taphouse.

So what makes Nase think he can cut out his own profitable slice of this uber-competitive market?

The answer is Mellow Mushroom’s uniqueness and growing cult following in the Southeast U.S.

“The groovy thing about Mellow Mushroom is every one has its own vibe and feel, while still giving off that that hippy 1970s feel,” he said. “We’re not the place where you’re going to see servers wearing button up shirts.”

If, by now, you’re sensing there’s a drug connection to the name, you’re right. One of the chain’s founders became “enlightened” on a Grateful Dead tour, where he came up with the name 37 years ago.

No official reports of whether he actually partook of the implied hallucinogenic mushrooms, but each stores’ broad array of colorful and crazy art appears to tap into some chemically induced visions.

Nase said every store has a staffer in charge of art, a person who creates a unique style for the store and ultimately blends it with creations from local artists.

Want to see just how eclectic? Watch this video to see a vintage Volkswagen Beetle hanging from a pizzeria ceiling like a disco ball.

“Our restaurants are more places where we feature a collection of art and where we sell good pizza and good beer,” Nase said. What will the art be like in the St. Matthews store? That’ll be a surprise, he added.

“Let’s just say we’re going to do some cool things that I’d rather not talk about right now, though some of it will represent Kentucky. We want everyone to be wowed about the look when they walk in.”

And wowed by the pizza and beer, too, of course. Here, Mellow Mushroom pizzerias are standardized: recipes and operating procedures are followed by every crew.

Pizzas typically are heavily topped and chewy crusted, sort of a hybrid of Wick’s and Boombozz. Each pizza is hand tossed visibly through the open kitchen and baked directly on the oven’s stone deck for crispness.

Mellow Mushroom does not deliver, but you can get carryout, and they do cater.

“We tell everyone that with the amount of ingredients we put on our pizzas, it’s best fresh out of the oven,” said Nase. “That’s what you’re paying for, the whole experience.”