Friday nights with G.Faz Pizza

Welcome back to another Spotlight Series with Sarah!
The series where the writer gets to know the city more personally, while the readers get to know the writer better in the process.
In August 2013, I met one of my best friends, Amanda, during band week with the Michigan Marching Band.
We were both incoming freshmen in the piccolo section and I noticed she was a tall individual. I have been tall my entire life (standing at 5’9) so when I saw someone taller than me (she is 5’10), I immediately wanted to be friends with her.
During band week, for one of our designated lunch breaks, I asked if she wanted to have lunch with me. She accepted my invitation, we had lunch together that day, and simply never stopped hanging out after that.
We became inseparable and experienced all of college together: late-night band practices, studying for classes, Saturday football games, bowl game trips, parties, everything. People joked that if you saw one of us, the other was somewhere close.
As the bliss of college parties quickly wore off, Amanda and I enjoyed staying in more frequently for movie nights. There is nothing like curling up on the couch with some comfy blankets, some tasty food to eat, and a good movie to watch.

G.Faz Super Z Pizza and bread sticks

Since graduating college in 2017, Amanda and I have continued our movie nights tradition. Typically, our movie nights wouldn’t be complete without pizza and wine.
We recently had a movie night in September and I offered to bring the pizza, while she brought the wine.
I remembered reading Courtney Conover’s article a few years back about G.Faz Pizza, so I decided to give it a try and review it for my readers that might not have experienced it yet.
On Friday, September 13th, I stopped by G.Faz Pizza. You might drive past it on a Friday and not even notice, but it deserves its spotlight moment.
I parked my car in the back of the lot and walked to the front where the G.Faz Pizza truck was parked. There were three other people waiting when I arrived, so I waited for my turn to order.
The menu was printed on a wooden-framed chalkboard sidewalk sign near the window where you order. Next to the window were two jars and a survey question of the day, where customers could leave a tip in whichever jar with the answer they preferred. Tonight’s question/the two jars were labeled: dogs vs cats.
If you were wondering, I like cats, but prefer dogs. But I thought the survey jars were a cute idea to not only get tips, but to interact with the customers.
Shortly after arriving, I placed my order and was given a ticket number.
I ordered the Super Z (pizza with old world pepperoni, cherrywood ham, green peppers, red onions, and mushrooms), cheese styx, and four ranches. (Yes, four. I love ranch.)
Two more people showed up after I placed my order, and the delicious smell of pizza filled the air as I waited for my number to be called. It only took about 20 minutes until my order was ready and I was on my way to Amanda’s house with hot food.
Amanda and I have had our fair share of pizzas throughout the years of our movie nights, so we were excited to try something new.
The presentation of the Super Z pizza was visually pleasing, with the red pepperoni and green peppers standing out against the light mozzarella cheese. All of the toppings were evenly distributed and the cheese looked cooked to perfection.
We even got a nice little cheese-pull when we grabbed our pizza slices. (You should know I love a good cheese-pull by now).
The cheese on the cheese styx was lightly browned and appeared to be seasoned appropriately. It was just the right texture you want from a cheese stick.
But breadsticks are nothing without their dipping sauce, and as you’ve probably gathered, I’m not a marinara girl. I’m a ranch girl.
Not all ranches are created equal. Some are too thick, while others are too runny. G.Faz Pizza’s ranch is on the thinner side, but I approved of it for dipping the cheese styx and my pizza crust in because it had a good ranch flavor.
We thought G.Faz Pizza was a great addition to our movie night and I would absolutely stop by again to order the same thing or maybe try something new on the menu.
G.Faz Pizza opened April 2020.
George Favazza, G.Faz Pizza Owner, is a life-long resident of Wayne that has been working in the pizza industry for most of his life.
Fresh out of high school, Favazza began working for Domino’s as a delivery driver. Then he worked for Hungry Howie’s Pizza as a delivery driver, and then Pizza Hut. Favazza stayed with Pizza Hut for 17 years.
“I was good at delivery,” said Favazza. “Delivery driving was good money for me.”
During his employment at Pizza Hut, Favazza’s boss mentioned how he didn’t like the company taking care of his lawn. Favazza volunteered to do lawn work for him, which led to him launching his own lawn care company.
Favazza continued working his lawn care business during the summer and working at Pizza Hut during the winter. His lawn care company has been in business for 35 years, working during the winter months too now.
However, pizza was always Favazza’s passion.
“I just started making pizza, no idea why,” said Favazza. “I’m Italian, so I like food.”
In 2012, Favazza started experimenting with making pizza sauce and dough.
During his time with Pizza Hut, Favazza was put through a “dough master” class to learn prep-work. Some of the processes he learned in that class, he still uses now when making pizza.
Originally, Favazza wanted to open his own restaurant but he didn’t want to spend over $100,000 to do so, so he thought about launching his own line of take-and-bake pizzas instead, but ultimately decided against that idea.
Favazza obtained his food license in 2019 and worked a few events in his first food truck, until he quickly realized it wasn’t big enough. So he sold his original truck and bought the one he is using today.
“My favorite part is talking to people and repeat customers,” said Favazza. “I enjoy interacting with customers that keep coming back. Getting to know people and getting to know their order before they even come to our truck.”
Some of G.Faz Pizza’s best selling items are the bread styx, cheese styx, and BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza.
“It has both BBQ sauce and ranch dressing on it, which makes it unique,” said Favazza.
G.Faz Pizza is usually open until December, closed for the winter, and opens back up at the end of March/beginning of April.
Favazza is taking the winter to come up with new ideas and is planning on coming out with new pizzas (like a BLT pizza) by next year.
Eventually, Favazza plans to phase out his lawn care business and just do pizza.
“When you have a restaurant, you’re married to it. I wanted to do something because I want to, not because I have to,” said Favazza.
Favazza wants to retire with G.Faz Pizza, and possibly open a coffee truck one day as well.
The G.Faz Pizza truck is out most Fridays, generally from 3 – 7:30 p.m. at GTI Graphics (located at 2270 South Wayne Rd).
“Come try us out and see if it’s the best pizza you’ve had in a long time,” said Favazza.
For more information about G.Faz Pizza, visit gfazpizza.com or call (734)822-1615. G.Faz Pizza is available for special events.
For a deeper dive into Favazza’s story, you can read Courtney Conover’s article at thewaynedispatch.com
Be sure to check out G.Faz Pizza before it closes for the season, and be on the lookout for the next Spotlight Series with Sarah!