Watch: Pizza is tossed, prepped at Fort Myers’ Downtown House of Pizza
Folks at DHOP — the beloved pizza joint in the heart of downtown for the past 20 years — hand-toss about 400 pizzas on an average day.
- Downtown House of Pizza in Fort Myers has been a local staple for two decades.
- The owner, Jason Kohn, has kept the pizza recipe consistent for the last 17 years.
- The business has grown from a small shop to a larger restaurant with over 30 employees.
It’s always been just cheese for Jason Kohn.
The owner of Downtown House of Pizza (DHOP) keeps it simple for very good reasons.
“I try the pizza every day,” he said. “I truly like a traditional slice of cheese. And I can taste the dough and sauce. Make sure the cheese is aged properly. When you add toppings, it can change things and I need to dial in.”
Kohn has been dialing it in for two decades now.
Since opening off Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers in 2005, DHOP has been a midday business lunch, family favorite and late-night slice staple for millions of pizza-loving customers.
“When we were new, we were still figuring things out, making mistakes,” Kohn said. “But the community was always welcoming. We were always busy. We weren’t organized enough to grow, so we did it organically, steadily increasing.”
And, boy, has it grown in the last 20 years.
“In the first years after we opened, if we did 250 to 300 (pizzas) in a day, we were really excited,” Kohn said. “That was a lot of batches of dough.”
DHOP was much smaller back then, “about half the size.”
It began on Hendry between Main and First streets and eventually spilled out into Patio De Leon.
“There were a few of us working,” Kohn said. “Just six or seven, working crazy hours. We are open so many hours, seven days a week. On five nights, we’re open until 2 (in the morning) or later.”
DHOP navigated its way through in those early years
“Downtown was busy back in 2005,” Kohn said. “There was a lot of stuff going on, a lot of businesses and restaurants.”
The city’s utility and streetscape improvement project in 2008 and 2009 provided its own challenges.
“It was hard to get around,” Kohn said. “But we were busy shuffling pizza down and around the scaffolding in the walkways. Some restaurants didn’t make it over the years.”
But DHOP did and continued to build a loyal following with its hand-tossed pies and oversized slices.
After tweaking its pizza recipe early on, it “hasn’t changed in the last 17 years.”
More space, more ovens, more pizza
In 2018, DHOP expanded, doubling in size by taking over the once retail business/once architect offices/once electronic repair shop next door.
The sliver of a space with a long display case on one side and a counter on the other now had a dining room with a small bar between the two spaces.
Just as important was another addition.
“We had a double-decker (pizza oven) and replaced it with a larger one,” Kohn said. “And we got an additional double-decker.”
More than pizza on the menu
Fast forward to 2025, and DHOP has 30-plus employees and on its busiest day can crank out “1,500 pizzas between 9 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.”
“We were never able to do that before,” Kohn said. “We have a lot of moving parts, a lot going on now. We’re always working on tomorrow. But we’re so dialed in, we could write a book.”
What sometimes gets overlooked, though, is that DHOP isn’t just about pizza.
“We’ve got great wings, salads and desserts,” Kohn said. “We’ve always had sandwiches, calzones, stromboli. We’ve got one of the best Philly cheesesteaks in town.”
But with pizza in the name and since it’s the main focus (it’s hand-tossed continuously right there in the front window), pies and slices are what DHOP is known for.
“We are a traditional New York pizzeria,” Kohn said. “We stick to the basics, what we know, for a consistent product every single time. We’re not inventing the wheel. We make it the best possible way we can.”
Celebrating 20 years with giveaways and more
And on Friday, Sept. 19, DHOP is ready to celebrate its 20 years with lots of giveaways, live music, beer and, of course, pizza.
While the bulk of the activities take place from 6-9 p.m. during Music Walk, there will be specials beginning at 10 a.m., including 20-inch pizzas with 20th anniversary T-shirts for $20 for the first 500 customers and 20-ounce tumblers for $20 that come with a lifetime of fountain drink refills.
“It’s pretty much a thank you to fans and customers,” Kohn said. “We’re going to have fun.”
And after that? What’s next for DHOP?
“We have something big to announce soon,” Kohn said. “We’re just waiting for the dust to settle with this (anniversary celebration).”
In the meantime, we’re going to grab one of our favorite slices around and celebrate. You should, too.
Downtown House of Pizza, 1520 Hendry St., Fort Myers; (239) 337-3467; downtownhouseofpizza.com or follow on Facebook
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
