By Jacob Mathias

Tucked behind Skipp’s Bowling Center in Stevens Point is a hard to see sign reading “Amore Pizza and Sandwiches.”

Amore Pizza and Sandwiches opened about six months ago and owner Dan Weisbrot has brought new life into the former location of Southside Square and Rollin’ Dough Pizza. Weisbrot said a menu featuring classic pizzas and Italian sandwiches, as well as a full remodel, have made for a successful business so far.

The pizzas are topped with fresh cut ingredients and locally sourced meats from Country Fresh Meats in Wausau. The pizza dough is made fresh daily and rolled to order for a thin crispy crust. Weisbrot said his high-quality ingredients are what sets his pizza’s apart from anyone else.

“Once this opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it,” said Weisbrot. “It seemed like everything came together and worked for me…I really haven’t had a day off since October.”

Despite the long hours and hard work, Weisbrot said he couldn’t be happier with the results and he loves meeting his customers and serving his pizza. Even on his bad days, customers can turn his day around.

“(A customer said,) ‘you’re the best thing that’s happened to Stevens Point in a long time,'” said Weisbrot. “It almost put me in tears…it just snapped me right out of it.”

Amore’s menu includes many pizzas named after the oft-quoted, bowling-centric, cult class film “The Big Lebowski.” The Dude pizza includes pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions while the Walter is topped with sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms and the Donny appropriately comes with chicken.

“People that do get it have to explain to people that don’t get it that they have to see the movie in order to understand why their pizzas are named what they are,” said Weisbrot. “I had a lot of fun with that. That’s the bottom line, just having fun.”

Weisbrot is a big fan of the film and the tie-in to bowling makes it a match with the location.

Weisbrot began his restaurant experience at the age of 13 while working alongside his grandparents at their now closed Northside Bar. He has even brought back the Northside recipes for his local-favorite Friday night fish fry including the fish batter, potato salad, coleslaw, tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.

He continue on working at Bill’s Pizza in downtown Stevens Point for a number of years. After a stint in the Army including serving for three years in Iraq with the 101st Airborne, Weisbrot returned to Stevens Point where he began working in construction before returning to his pizza roots and starting his own business.

Amore’s summer business hours are Thursdays from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM, Fridays from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Saturdays from 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Amore is located at 2300 Strongs Ave. alongside Skipp’s Bowling Center in Stevens Point.