Channelside’s Only Pizzeria
A few words about us
At Precinct Pizza, we serve more than just pizza.
The large menu offers delicious appetizers like the Fireman’s Wild Wings, Fender Bender Chicken Tenders, and their signature item, the Greenwich Garlic Knots. They have great salad combinations that are popular all over town. The large menu includes appetizers, heroes, pizzas, pastas, burgers, calzones, rolls, desserts, beer, and wine, all with an emergency services theme. The restaurant is adorned with many authentic signs, badges, artwork, emergency equipment and murals that reflect the feel of New York.
“There’s a lot of buzz in town about this restaurant”, Rick said before it’s opening in 2006. “I think its going to fit into Channelside perfectly.”
Traditional Recipes
Precinct Pizza brings true authentic New York City food to Tampa. With over 30 years of culinary experience in New York our recipes are "spot on".
Every pizza, pasta, calzone, and dish is created using recipes that can only otherwise be found in New York City itself. You won't find items that are claiming to be New York Style here because our menu is specifically designed to give you that true New York food experience.
Food Is Our Passion
At Precinct Pizza making sure you have the best food is our highest priority and passion.
Since we pride ourselves in making the very best New York food for our customers, it is no surprise that we look to achieve the most authentic and tasteful food that you can have outside of New York City itself.
Original Flavor
Not to toot our own horn too much, but you won't find any better New York food anywhere.
With our focus on bringing our customers the best flavors to entice their taste buds, Precinct Pizza has mastered it's handcrafted recipes to ensure that everything from our dough and sauce to our deserts is ready to make your mouth have great time.
Rick & Jessica's Story
Rick worked in the pizza business for 7 years before he finally bought one for himself in March, 1995. One month after he took over that pizza shop, he met his future wife Jessica who came to work with him immediately. Together they turned that pizzeria around, and took the sales to five times higher than the previous owner’s sales in a matter of six months. In 1999, they opened a second location that also did well. After 13 years, Rick and Jessica decided to sell their stores and do something different.
Rick Drury worked in New York City as an EMT & Paramedic from 2001 to 2005. Rick loved his Paramedic job, working on the busiest ambulance in the NYC Emergency Medical Services, but after long discussions with his wife Jessica, they decided to leave New York with their son, Ryan and followed Rick’s parents down to Tampa, Florida. Rick tried being a Paramedic in Florida, but the job in Florida was nowhere near as exciting as his previous job in NYC. During a slow shift, Rick came up with a restaurant concept and discussed it with Jessica when he got home. Jessica liked the idea and they decided to give it a shot.
Rick found a great location in the Channelside District in downtown Tampa between the Amalie Arena & the Florida Aquarium. Rick & Jessica opened their restaurant August 7, 2006, and it was immediately a smash hit in town. In Precinct’s first ten years in the business, their sales have not plateaued yet. Precinct regularly does the Italian food delivery & catering to nearly every event at the Amalie Arena. They often cater for a number of A-list celebrities, including one of the company’s biggest single orders, for Pop Star Taylor Swift. Rick jokes that her personal order for a Waldorf Salad was on the house after she placed her $3,000 order for her Roadies & fans for after her show.
Precinct’s success is based upon its attention to detail, according to Rick. “We train people constantly in how to best serve our guests and ensure that their experience is memorable. Anyone can make a pizza. It is the attention to detail and amazing service that separates Precinct from most other pizzerias.”, Rick said.
When Rick & Jessica developed the concept, they focused on quality first. Rick said, “Every ingredient we purchase, is the highest quality & best tasting ingredient money can buy, regardless of cost. We decided to make the best food, and worry about the costs of the ingredients later. We will make it work somehow.”
Jessica is the driving force behind the training and product quality. She knows every recipe in detail and knows how all the food should be prepared and presented. If a tomato wedge is a little out of place in a salad, she fixes it & makes sure the Chef is shown how it should be presented. It is the consistent training and inspecting of food preparation and focusing on the small details that has made Jessica the expert of the Precinct kitchen.
Precinct Pizza is one of just a handful of pizzerias to be featured in both national pizza magazines, PMQ Pizza Magazine(November, 2010), and Pizza Today(June, 2014). Rick is also a recognized leader in the pizza business, having conducted several seminars, workshops and speaking engagements on multiple subjects at the International Pizza Expo. In 2016, Precinct Pizza began offering franchises as well.