UStory: Storm Pizza Grill and Tavern

Columbia, PA — Drive along Columbia Avenue and you’ll find a local favorite, Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern. Chris Giffen, owner and all-around fun guy, believes in customers getting their money’s worth. Every visit to the restaurant is an adventure waiting to happen.

Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern from the outside

Chris says it best:

How It All Began

Chris and his wife spent decades in the automotive dealership industry. But both of them wanted something more fun and fulfilling. They wanted to run a business where people actually looked forward to dropping by.

Chris Giffen

One night while having dinner, Chris was looking at restaurant listings online. He was surprised to find the restaurant he was in was up for sale. He called the manager over to ask if it was true. The manager suggested that Chris call them the next day. Before he knew it, Chris was in the restaurant business.

A mechanical bull found its way into the restaurant

A Slice of Reality

Running a restaurant business is no cakewalk. And as Chris learned, not everything will go according to plan.

For starters, the Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern was originally set to have a theme. They had to scale back, however, since Columbia, PA (or at least their neck of the woods) isn’t exactly a tourist destination. And given that Chris and his wife never ran a business like this before, the idea scared them to no end.

The restaurant’s famous ribs

Chris thought that at the very least, he’d have some say in the menu items but even that was met with resistance.

It all worked out in the end though. Not only were they voted the Best Ribs in Lancaster in 2016, the ribs remain a crowd favorite to this day.

With Everything on Top

So far you’ve read that Hurricane serves pizza and ribs but their menu goes way beyond that. They have pasta. They have ribs. They have subs, wraps, burgers, and sandwiches.

Mouth-watering pizza with beer always hit the spot.

Chris says the diverse menu stems from their creative team who find new ways to incorporate the fresh, locally sourced produce they source. This allows them to create exclusive dishes.

Even Chris pitches in — offering his own creation he dubs The Perfect Pineapple. A rum-based drink he’s worked on for 10 years and the recipe for which he guards as much as “Sanders guarded his 11 herbs and spices.”

The Secret Sauce

Chris knows a thing or two about sauces. He does, after all, sell in-house specialty wing sauces on top of everything else. But what’s the secret sauce to running a successful business?

A packed house

Chris believes that in order to keep customers happy, you have to find top-tier employees who put the customers above all else. And he was willing to pay more to get that.

Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern Prints With UPrinting

Chris uses UPrinting to print his menus but has also used the company to print labels for his hot sauce and pizza boxes. He shares that he had no intention of using UPrinting in the beginning but was referred to by people he used to work with.

See for yourself how easy it is to print takeout menus at UPrinting.

Chris goes on to say:

The Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern Menu

After Chris used UPrinting himself, he didn’t want to do it any other way.

Chris prides on keeping Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern a hidden gem. Something that caters to locals and anyone else. They even proudly describe their place as “The best tavern you never knew existed”. But if you’d like to learn more about Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern, you should go and visit their website.

How has UPrinting helped your business? Let us know! Send us an email at blog@uprinting.com.