City's Pizza owners Paul Stone and Patrick Krolik took over the former DJ's Pizza at 3148 Packard.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

If things had gone as originally planned, Paul Stone and his
business partner would have opened a strictly Philly cheesesteak-and-submarine
sandwich shop. The pizza part came about late in the game.

Stone had worked for 17 years at Banfield’s Bar and Grill, next door to the former DJ’s Pizza, and knew that business’ owner, Andrew Jenkins. Stone’s partner, Patrick Krolik, also was a longtime Banfield’s employee.

When they found out that Jenkins was looking to sell the business after 42 years in operation, the two readily stepped up. But Jenkins urged the two to retain his famous-recipe pizza.

“I wanted to do the authentic Pat’s-style Philly cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and, you know, the real-deal cheesesteak hoagies,” Stone said.

“And then we just kept talking to (Jenkins) and he talked us into it, and lo and behold, we’re making pizzas and subs now.”

Stone and Krolik, a sales representative for industrial equipment supplier Fastenal Co., opened  City’s Pizza & Subs in July.

They have been trying to spread word of the new business through door-to-door fliers advertising specials and through coupons posted on the sites suddenvalues.com and yellowbook.com.

City’s deals primarily in carryout and delivery business, though the storefront does offer six seats for dining in. The menu is divided between pizzas such as the Madison (bacon, lettuce, tomato, Miracle Whip and cheese), salads and hot or cold subs like The New York (capicola, salami, pepperoni and cheese) and, of course, the classic Philly. The urban theme is echoed in the City’s logo, which features the Detroit skyline.

Dough and sauce are homemade, as are the sub buns, Stone said. Meats are high quality and cut from the bone daily (sliced meat is also available for purchase from the deli case), and all vegetables are sliced fresh each day.

There are other holdouts from DJ’s as well. On the City’s Pizza & Subs Yelp page, one reviewer raves about a topping that was “like the pepperoni of your youth...the kind that bubble up like little hats.”

A mushroom and pepperoni pizza at City's Pizza.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“And they get the grease pockets,” Stone adds enthusiastically. “It’s called the ‘select pepperoni.’ We've got a big demand for that.” It was one of the traditions, along with pure mozzarella Grande cheese, that Jenkins successfully lobbied to keep.

The storefront, on Packard Road east of Platt, was closed for about two months while Stone and Krolik made renovations. Finding a loan to start the business “was a task in itself,” Stone said.

“We went to 10 different banks and didn’t get one loan. Didn’t even get a second interview for the loan,” he said. “Every bank we talked to was like, ‘Nobody’s giving out small business loans.’ We actually had one bank tell us that the fine they get for not spending the (federal) money was so minimal that they just kept the money.”

The duo eventually found help through the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development, a nonprofit organization that offers microloans to small businesses. Stone and Krolik also funneled in their personal savings, while Jenkins helped with startup capital reserves.

Stone describes the business as an “old-school” and “authentic” pizzeria and sub shop.

"I just enjoy a small business where everybody kind of knows your name type thing,” he says. “You come in, you have good camaraderie with the customers, you know what they order you know about their kids, they know about your family."

• Contact Sven Gustafson at sventg123@gmail.com, or follow him at twitter.com/sveng.