Side Piece Pizza will host their grand opening party at the Rambler Nov. 14 from 2 to 10 p.m. Credit: Grayson Newbourn | Managing Editor Arts & Life
A new pizzeria made its debut at the Rambler on Oct. 24, making it the third business to set up shop at the apartment complex.
Side Piece Pies — which joins Victory Lap, a sports bar, and Daydreamer Coffee — is an Austin-based business bringing New York-style pizza by the slice and chicken wings to campus.
The food scene in Columbus was a major draw for Side Piece Pies, Dylan Robert Bridges, the pizzeria’s kitchen manager, said.
“Columbus is a really big city for pizza, and it’s a really big test city for food in general,” Bridges said.
Bridges said Side Piece Pies wanted to capitalize on the campus-area student population and nightlife for business.
“The late-night pizza scene is a big thing down here in Columbus,” Alyssa Georgiou, a second-year in nursing and Rambler leasing official, said. “Opening something farther north caters to the people who not only live in Rambler, but also that live far north.”
The efforts to engage a student customer base is reflected in Side Piece Pies’ marketing initiatives, initially offering a free slice of pizza to the first 25 customers and now hosting a grand opening event, which is scheduled for Nov. 14 from 2 to 10 p.m. The event will feature a DJ set, red carpet and a slice of free pizza for the first 200 customers, according to their Instagram.
Taylor Leen, director of marketing for Side Pieces Pies, said in an email that Rambler stood out to the company due to the liveliness of the area.
“The campus energy, especially on game days, is unreal,” Leen said. “With Victory Lap anchoring Rambler’s first-floor retail and setting the tone as the new home base for Buckeye fans, we knew we had to be part of it.”
Brenna Voye, leasing and marketing manager at the Rambler, said she felt the speed and style of Side Piece Pies — which offers slices that range in price from $5.50 to $7 — would resonate with students.
“I think the branding and the name of it just grabs your attention,” Voye said. “You order your slice, it takes a minute, and then it’s out. It’s quick, it’s good.”
Bridges said the Rambler location is Side Piece Pies’ first brick-and-mortar location, as its two locations in Austin operate as drive-thru windows.
Victory Lap and Daydreamer Coffee are also based in Austin, with the sports bar, the coffee shop, the apartment and the pizzeria all part of the same developing company, LV Collective.
“Our intent at Rambler Columbus is to offer a curated selection of retail and restaurant partners that are carefully selected to meet the needs and preferences of today’s college student while enhancing the overall experience of living at Rambler and contributing to the surrounding Ohio State community,” Cody Weiss, vice president of asset management at LV Collective, said in an email.
Weiss also stated that a bagel shop, Bagels & Co., would be coming to Rambler and is slated to open in 2026.
