A different kind of pizza shop is coming to the former Gumby’s location in State College.
8 Mile Pizza, which will specialize in Detroit-style pizza, is expected to open at 300 S. Pugh St. in late summer, restaurant operator Steve Masterson said. Gumby’s Pizza permanently closed its location in the O’Brien Place building in March.
Detroit-style is a rectangular pan pizza noted for its thick and crisp crust, brick cheese and toppings to the edges of the pie.
“Detroit-style pizza has become a favorite all over the country in recent years (including my own),” Masterson wrote in an email. “Every town has a couple of good pizzas, but not every town has a great Detroit pizza. Some people may have never even tried Detroit-style pizza before, and they are in for a real treat.”
Masterson owns the live music venue and bar Stage West at 420 E. College Ave in State College. 8 Mile Pizza, which takes its name from the famed road on Detroit’s northern border, was born from a virtual restaurant concept he started at Stage West’s location in Scranton during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He believes its success there will translate to State College.
“From operating Stage West and living in town over the past few years, I’ve really embraced this community and the student culture and knew quickly that I wanted to do more here in the market,” he wrote. “I’ve had a previous venue/restaurant (Stage West – Scranton) in Scranton, PA, where 8 Mile Pizza began as a virtual restaurant concept out of the pandemic. It was a huge hit, serving up the best Detroit-style pizza in town, and I’m confident that with its unique taste and high quality, it will continue to do the same in State College.
“I can’t wait to introduce this delicious product to our customers later this summer.”
Along with specialty pies, the menu also will feature a limited number of other items including including subs, cheesesteaks, wings and salads. Masterson said he prefers to keep the menu small so that the restaurant can specialize in the items it does best.
“We will be doing weekly mini pizza drops with limited specialty pies, round pies and other items,” he added. “We will also be working with other brand drops such as Pop-Up Bagels from NYC to offer some other fun options for our customers from time to time.”
8 Mile Pizza is currently hiring for all positions and an application is available online.
For updates, visit 8 Mile Pizza’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
