New Grotto Pizza in Dewey Beach is ready for summer visitors as company unveils new look

Garage-style doors for open-air seating are a new look for Grotto Pizza, which operates 23 restaurants in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

A new Grotto location recently opened off Delaware Route 1 in Dewey Beach features the design the hospitality group plans to use in future sites of the chain founded in Rehoboth Beach in 1960.

The building that housed the former Grotto in Dewey near Read Avenue was razed last year. Retail shops and condos are planned for that site.

A new, smaller building facing Delaware Route 1 across the street had been planned for summer 2023 according to a sign at the site, but construction was delayed. The 5,500-square-foot building was completed earlier this year and has exposed industrial-style ceilings and garage-style doors that open to the sidewalk.

“This location is a prototype for our restaurants going forward,” said Jeff Gosnear, president of Grotto Pizza. “It’s fresh, modern, and incorporates the many features that our guests appreciate. It’s gorgeous.”

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The restaurant’s garage-style glass doors have screens that can be rolled up in warm weather for open-air dining. The restaurant also includes a sports bar and a takeout section.

The new location is open Thursday through Sunday for lunch and dinner until mid-May, when the hours will increase.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New Grotto Pizza in Dewey Beach is ready for summer visitors as company unveils new look