After two years of being vacant, the corner of Seminary Street and Mobile Street is buzzing back to life with the opening of Lost Pizza Co. The new restaurant opened up for dinner Feb. 8 and officially opened for lunch and dinner on Feb. 14.

“Business has been fantastic,” said Chuck McCarty, 65, Lost Pizza Franchise Owner. “On the weekends, we’ll do about 50% of our business. Fridays are our busiest days. All day Saturday [recently] has been really busy. Sunday lunch is phenomenal and the night is pretty busy as well.”

McCarty is no stranger to the bustling restaurant business. In addition to being in the business for 25 years, McCarty has owned two other Lost Pizza Co. prior to the Shoals location.

“I owned a restaurant in Indianola Mississippi called Nola and knew the two young men who started this franchise in 2007,” McCarty said. “I saw this franchise’s birth in my hometown of Indianola, Miss. [I] kind of fell in love with it. My wife and I decided that we wanted to do something different, but [we] wanted to stay in the food business. [Lost Pizza] was just a natural fit for us.”

McCarty opened up his first Lost Pizza location in Oxford, Miss. in 2017 and his second location in Grenada, Miss. in 2019.

The Shoals has been a destination for McCarty and his wife, Marcia, for years. The couple would ride motorcycles, hang out at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa, and listen to the songwriters at Swampers. They “fell in love” with the area.

“When we decided to put in the third store, we wanted to go somewhere that we could possibly retire,” McCarty said. “[The Shoals is] an area that’s always kind of lured us here with the people, the music, the river and its whole vibe.”

As a franchise owner, McCarty facilitates the vision of the two guys who started Lost Pizza Co. in 2007 – Brooks Roberts and Preston Lott – and takes it to the next level. Their dream was to create a cool, funky atmosphere where friends can enjoy the coldest beer around and the best pizza they have ever eaten, according to the restaurant’s website.

Roberts and Lott drew inspiration for their restaurant from a little pub in Saint Croix, an island in the Caribbean Sea, called Lost Dog Pub and Pizza. The Lost Dog Pub and Pizza has décor on walls similar to Lost Pizza Co. Typically, this décor has been washed up by hurricanes, such as boats that capsized, anchors, ropes, life preservers.

“The furnishings resemble the island of Saint Croix,” McCarty said. “[Lost Pizza’s] décor and ambiance comes from there. In Florence, I wanted to [represent] the Shoals area – the river, the music. So, if you walk around in there, we’ve got a wall filled with nothing but memorabilia of the shoals athletes that were born here, musicians, Billy Reid, you name it.”

In the other locations, customers will find a similar pattern, each restaurant taking on characteristics of the area it is in. For example, Indianola, Miss. has décor pertaining to American Blues Musician B.B. King and the blues whereas Pensacola, Fla has decor relating to the Naval Air Station and the beach.

“At any restaurant, you want the ambiance and aesthetic to be where the food is great, but it draws you back in because it’s a cool place,” said McCarty.

McCarty said that he loves what he does at Lost Pizza Co. and the restaurant business as a whole.

“The satisfaction you get from customers raving that it’s the best pizza or wings and people telling me that they like what I’m doing,” McCarty said. “Because the hours are long, at my age, it’s tiring. But, when I can go to bed satisfied about what I did, it’s not about the money, it’s about the people.”

Still, McCarty acknowledges that being in this business can pose many challenges.

“The restaurant business is very difficult business,” McCarty said. “It’s taxing on relationships. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if my wife hadn’t gotten on board when I got started. I have to give her a lot of the credit to our success because she’s been there every step of the way.”

McCarty said another challenge that it brings is getting people to work.

“The labor market is tough,” McCarty said. “The challenge this day and time in our business is finding good management, but I have good management in my other [two] stores and I’m sure that I’m going to find it here.”

McCarty does not envision himself sitting on the pier for the remainder of his life.

“If you have good management, I see myself working until I’m gone,” said McCarty.

Voted the Pizza in Mississippi for seven years in a row, McCarty hopes to have a similar success of Lost Pizza Co. in the Shoals.

“[I hope] to be a cornerstone, here, in Florence,” McCarty said. “We didn’t come here to be here for a few years. I’m hoping that when I’m gone that my children keep it going. We’re here for the duration.”

After two years of being vacant, the corner of Seminary Street and Mobile Street is buzzing back to life with the opening of Lost Pizza Co. The new restaurant opened up for dinner Feb. 8 and officially opened for lunch and dinner on Feb. 14.

“Business has been fantastic,” said Chuck McCarty, 65, Lost Pizza Franchise Owner. “On the weekends, we’ll do about 50% of our business. Fridays are our busiest days. All day Saturday [recently] has been really busy. Sunday lunch is phenomenal and the night is pretty busy as well.”

McCarty is no stranger to the bustling restaurant business. In addition to being in the business for 25 years, McCarty has owned two other Lost Pizza Co. prior to the Shoals location.

“I owned a restaurant in Indianola Mississippi called Nola and knew the two young men who started this franchise in 2007,” McCarty said. “I saw this franchise’s birth in my hometown of Indianola, Miss. [I] kind of fell in love with it. My wife and I decided that we wanted to do something different, but [we] wanted to stay in the food business. [Lost Pizza] was just a natural fit for us.”

McCarty opened up his first Lost Pizza location in Oxford, Miss. in 2017 and his second location in Grenada, Miss. in 2019.

The Shoals has been a destination for McCarty and his wife, Marcia, for years. The couple would ride motorcycles, hang out at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa, and listen to the songwriters at Swampers. They “fell in love” with the area.

“When we decided to put in the third store, we wanted to go somewhere that we could possibly retire,” McCarty said. “[The Shoals is] an area that’s always kind of lured us here with the people, the music, the river and its whole vibe.”

As a franchise owner, McCarty facilitates the vision of the two guys who started Lost Pizza Co. in 2007 – Brooks Roberts and Preston Lott – and takes it to the next level. Their dream was to create a cool, funky atmosphere where friends can enjoy the coldest beer around and the best pizza they have ever eaten, according to the restaurant’s website.

Roberts and Lott drew inspiration for their restaurant from a little pub in Saint Croix, an island in the Caribbean Sea, called Lost Dog Pub and Pizza. The Lost Dog Pub and Pizza has décor on walls similar to Lost Pizza Co. Typically, this décor has been washed up by hurricanes, such as boats that capsized, anchors, ropes, life preservers.

“The furnishings resemble the island of Saint Croix,” McCarty said. “[Lost Pizza’s] décor and ambiance comes from there. In Florence, I wanted to [represent] the Shoals area – the river, the music. So, if you walk around in there, we’ve got a wall filled with nothing but memorabilia of the shoals athletes that were born here, musicians, Billy Reid, you name it.”

In the other locations, customers will find a similar pattern, each restaurant taking on characteristics of the area it is in. For example, Indianola, Miss. has décor pertaining to American Blues Musician B.B. King and the blues whereas Pensacola, Fla has decor relating to the Naval Air Station and the beach.

“At any restaurant, you want the ambiance and aesthetic to be where the food is great, but it draws you back in because it’s a cool place,” said McCarty.

McCarty said that he loves what he does at Lost Pizza Co. and the restaurant business as a whole.

“The satisfaction you get from customers raving that it’s the best pizza or wings and people telling me that they like what I’m doing,” McCarty said. “Because the hours are long, at my age, it’s tiring. But, when I can go to bed satisfied about what I did, it’s not about the money, it’s about the people.”

Still, McCarty acknowledges that being in this business can pose many challenges.

“The restaurant business is very difficult business,” McCarty said. “It’s taxing on relationships. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if my wife hadn’t gotten on board when I got started. I have to give her a lot of the credit to our success because she’s been there every step of the way.”

McCarty said another challenge that it brings is getting people to work.

“The labor market is tough,” McCarty said. “The challenge this day and time in our business is finding good management, but I have good management in my other [two] stores and I’m sure that I’m going to find it here.”

McCarty does not envision himself sitting on the pier for the remainder of his life.

“If you have good management, I see myself working until I’m gone,” said McCarty.

Voted the Pizza in Mississippi for seven years in a row, McCarty hopes to have a similar success of Lost Pizza Co. in the Shoals.

“[I hope] to be a cornerstone, here, in Florence,” McCarty said. “We didn’t come here to be here for a few years. I’m hoping that when I’m gone that my children keep it going. We’re here for the duration.”