MONROE — The owner of Garnetto’s Pizzaria is opening her second restaurant in Monroe today, Oct. 1, at 2 East Ave.

With business "skyrocketing" at the first location in the small farming town of Fayetteville in Brown County, Garnett Centers said she hopes a larger location will equate to even more success.

“We have people who drive very, very far to buy our pizza so we thought if it is that good and our restaurant has made that big a difference in a small area, what would happen if we moved to a larger area like Monroe?” she said.

She has hired 10 employees, both part-time and full-time, for the new location. She’s hoping to add more staff as they build up a customer base. For now, they will offer delivery or carry-out services only.

Garnetto’s prides itself on its fresh-cut vegetables and competitive pricing. Centers said that can make all the difference when families are pinching pennies. Items such as the $4.45 steak hoagie and $20.99 family meal deal with a large two topping pizza, two steak hoagies and two french fries that she hopes also will entice customers in Butler County.

But Centers and her husband, Scott, did not start out in the pizza business. After a different investment idea fizzled, the couple turned toward the restaurant business. In 2006, with no knowledge of pizza or restaurants, the Centers took over the old Angelo’s location in Fayetteville. After a year training with professional chefs and experts in Italian cuisine, the couple switched over their menu and changed the name to Garnetto’s Pizzeria.

With hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today for the grand opening, Centers said their hoping for a robust lunch crowd with a taste for something new.

“I think we offer a very good product and I’ll be interested to see how it goes over. Hopefully some day there will be a (restaurant) No. 3,” she said.

For more information on Garnetto’s, call (513) 360-2989 or visit garnettos.com.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.