By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

MT LAUREL—Area 41 Pizza Company isn’t your average pizza joint. The restaurant has served up made-from-scratch pizza in a family-friendly environment in Mt Laurel for a decade.

Owner Patrick Hankins spotted the 30 Manning Place location during a visit to the Mt Laurel spring festival and fell in love with the area’s family-centered lifestyle. Area 41 first opened its doors on Nov. 3, 2005.

“It just seemed like the ideal cuisine (for the area) would be an Italian, pizza, bistro-style,” Hankins said.

Area 41 offers a wide selection of pizza inspired by places Hankins has visited. Customers also have the option to design their own pizza. Each pie is crafted from fresh ingredients atop house-made dough, and baked in a brick oven.

The meat and three pizza—loaded with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, onions, roasted peppers and mushrooms—is a customer favorite, restaurant manager Brandy Stalls said.

But Area 41 isn’t just about pizza, the restaurant also serves soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, a variety of homemade pastas, from the traditional spaghetti and meatballs to lasagna, and decadent desserts.

“I try to do as much in house as I can, the sauce, the dough, the pasta,” Hankins said, adding customers can be sure they’re getting a quality meal with the freshest ingredients.

To accompany the restaurant’s hearty entrees, Area 41 offers house-recipe drinks and an extensive craft beer selection, including a number of local favorites.

“We have 12 (beers) on draught, and they change out often,” Stalls said, noting six of the 12 beers on tap are locally brewed. “Our regular customers tell us what they’d like to see.”

After 10 years in the Dunnavant Valley community, Area 41 has become a local favorite with a loyal following. Hankins estimated roughly 80 percent of business comes from those living within a five-mile radius of the restaurant.

“It’s like a local Cheers,” Stalls said. “Everybody knows everybody…there are a lot of faces that we see at least two times a week, every week.”

Over time, the restaurant’s employees have also become a close-knit group, two of the kitchen staffers have been with Area 41 for nine years.

“We’re a big happy family,” Stalls said.

To celebrate 10 years of business, Area 41 is holding a weeklong celebration from Nov. 15-21. Each night, the restaurant will highlight a local brewery with beer specials and meal pairings. The celebration will culminate on Saturday, Nov. 21 with live music.

Area 41 Pizza is located at 30 Manning Place. The restaurant is open Mondays-Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit 41pizza.com or call 995-4141.