Massey’s Pizza

FOOD

The lunch buffet’s center of gravity is Columbus-style pizza: thin crust, toppings reaching toward the edge and small square-cut pieces. Pepperoni and cheese are natural starting points, with sausage and other combinations entering the mix as the local buffet turns over. The appeal is unusually specific for an unlimited pizza lunch. Massey’s has a recognizable baking method and ingredient vocabulary, giving its buffet the character of a Columbus pizza parlor.

The foundation is scratch-made dough baked directly on the hearth in deck ovens. Specially ground cornmeal sits beneath the thin crust, and Massey’s keeps conveyor ovens out of that process. The cornmeal is a defining detail worth noticing on the underside of a square. With toppings carried close to the perimeter, the pizza leaves little space for a broad, bare rim; the crust supports the topping coverage instead of taking over the plate.

Above it comes an herb-seasoned tomato sauce and the pairing of fresh mozzarella with aged provolone. That cheese combination is part of the house pizza identity, including the simpler pies that let the base speak most clearly. Freshly ground spices are another part of the house formula. A cheese square is a useful introduction to that construction: sauce and the two cheeses share the thin base without a pile of meat toppings taking the attention.

Pepperoni carries its own proper name: Guido Brand Portofino Pepperoni, exclusive to Massey’s. House-made Italian sausage offers another signature topping, while Italian meatballs belong to the broader pizza-parlor repertoire. The house sausage, named pepperoni and two-cheese base give the meat-topped pies their particular family resemblance. Pepperoni gets the marquee billing, but sausage deserves attention alongside it. The selection changes locally; a meatball pie is a possibility to check for, rather than a fixture to expect.

Salad, pasta and garlic bread commonly round out the pizza lunch at participating Ohio shops. Those accompaniments keep the meal rooted in the Italian-American pizza parlor: a cold salad beside the squares, a hot pasta portion and bread alongside it. Spaghetti with tomato-based sauce has long been part of the buffet repertoire. Pasta shapes, sauces and salad toppings follow the local spread.

Dessert pizza and small Italian-sub portions have appeared on some buffets, adding a sweet finish or a sandwich detour when offered. They bring a different side of the pizza parlor to the buffet without changing its pizza-first character. Subs, wings, stromboli and plated pasta remain substantial parts of the regular menu; their availability for ordering says nothing by itself about inclusion in the buffet price. Ask about the actual lunch spread before assuming the whole menu is unlimited.

The same distinction applies to crust choices. Deep dish and cauliflower crust are available on some branch menus, but the buffet’s characteristic pizza is the hearth-baked thin style. A special crust or a particular specialty pie may require a separate order. The lunch lineup centers on pizza and sides, with the chosen shop deciding the combinations. Start with the house signatures; this is one lunch where the small squares carry the big identity.