Pizza Management Company obtained the Clay Center Pizza Hut location after it closed in July. The location is currently under construction and will open this fall, likely in early November.

Director of Operations, Jeanie Waters, said “If we get done sooner, we’ll open sooner.” She added that the company is putting in new flooring, painting, adding a drive through on the west side of the building, and a buffet and salad bar.

“I’m excited about those changes, we’re really excited to be here,” she said. Waters said they have additional locations with buffets, but profit-wise, they are on the low end of the spectrum.

“It will be kind of pricey, comparable to those around us,” she said. “But ours will be run better.” With 27 other Pizza Huts under their belt, Waters’ joke referenced their level of management and attention to detail.

They also plan to bring back some nostalgic items, like baked wings instead of fries.

“We stay in smaller towns and we really care about the people, I think that makes us feel better,” she said. “It’s all family-owned.”

Waters lives in Concordia and has worked with the company for 30 years, first as a waitress, then managing, and working her way up in PMC. The company’s majority owner is Norman Staab who, at 80, is Pizza Hut’s oldest living franchisee.

“He’s not afraid to work,” Waters said. “He runs circles around us.”

Norman Stabb, pictured right, with his family. Multiple family members also work alongside him at PMC.

On-site at the job, Staab was working alongside other owners and construction workers to get the location in order. Staab started at Pizza Hut as a dishwasher in 1962 and picked up his first location in 1965.

A current PMC employee will serve as the location manager, relocating from Wamego. Waters said he has worked for them for four years and will be filling in management roles in the next several weeks to get a feel for the job.

“He’s a pretty young kid but has some pretty high standards,” she said. “We’re giving him a feel of what it’s going to be like.”

Waters has family in the area – a fact that is exciting but also nerve-wracking, because she wants it to go well.

“Everywhere I go I just have a big family,” she laughed.

However, her main reason for excitement about the Clay Center location is nostalgia: the building is set up the same way as the Norton Pizza Hut, which she managed for 17 years.

“It just reminds me of those days and it makes me smile.”