By Blair Tilson | Echo
There's a new pizza place in town, but this one has something only a few other restaurants in the U.S. has: deep-fried pizza.
Crispy on the outside and light and pillowy on the inside, this chewy treat has made its way out of the oven and into the hearts of Upland's residents. Muncie resident Ron Parson owns RP's Pizza and came up with the culinary creation himself.
"I wanted to do something different from everyone else in the pizza business," Parson said. "So I came up with the deep-fried pizza . . . nobody else in Indiana has it."
The menu offers far more than gourmet pizza, featuring just over 70 items, each crafted with homemade ingredients. Customers can choose from a variety of selections, including breadsticks, mac & jack bites, steak fries, deep-fried chips, breaded hot pepper cheese cubes, wings tossed in RP's very own wing sauce, salads and-ending on a sweet note-tiramisu, cheese cake or cookies.
Parson has been in the pizza business since 1974, having owned three restaurants before this one. And while this one-of-a-kind restaurant seemed to drop in out of nowhere for the Upland community, a lot of research and preparation went into the restaurant that stands today.
"I've been looking at this location for over two and a half years," Parson said. "I did the demographics up here, in a 10-mile radius, and there are over 22,000 people, not including Taylor students."
However, the real reason Parson came to Upland was Taylor's presence and the need he discovered in the community.
"Years ago I brought my son Lucas to basketball camp every year . . . and besides Ivanhoe's and Toppit, there was nobody in Upland that would be open early and open late seven days a week to offer more than just ordinary food," Parson said.
RP's Pizza also seeks ways to involve both students and the community at large. Austin's pulled pork pizza is named after a deceased friend of the Parson family and donates $1 to Ball State University's Austin Quinn Memorial Scholarship Fund.
In addition, Parson will be rolling out a few new ideas this spring, including Friday and Saturday night karaoke and a daily breakfast menu. And once the weather permits, the outdoors area will include other activities.
"Once we open the outside . . . we will be having some type of music venue, like karaoke, a band or DJ," Parson said. "I've even got two daycares coming this spring and summer to make their own pizzas . . . and several people coming up for fundraisers and bike ride-ins."
There are plenty of specials to be taken advantage of as well, such as the Trojan Madness daily special, which includes a 10-inch one-topping pizza, an order of breadsticks, a 2-liter bottle of a Pepsi product and two cookies, all for a meager $10.
Come in from 5 to 9 p.m. on Monday night to enjoy the spaghetti and meatballs 2-for-1 dining room special with a date. If you're a Taylor student, staff member or employee, showing your I.D. on Tuesdays will save you 10 percent off the menu.
RP's Pizza will even deliver your food up to 10 miles out. However, after 6 miles it's a $2 fee.
Located next to Dollar Smart at 62 East Berry St., the restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.(Photograph courtesy of USDA.)
