20+ years of loving pizza
...fuels our desire to serve "The Best Dish in the World" to any pizza craver, authentically New York-style.
The Pizza Saga: History
Local owner and operator of Italian Village Pizza in Lansing, Ryan, has been a long-time pizza enthusiast. For over 20 years, he has been doing one of the things he loves most in the world – making pizzas!
Beginning at a local Chuck E Cheese's when he was just 16, Ryan's love for making pizzas outgrew the family-friendly arcade spot and he started tossing dough for Sbarro's in the Lansing Mall.
The Pizza Saga: New York Style!
It was here at Sbarro's that Ryan's love for the New York Style slice grew. And how could it not? The enormous wide slices. The hand-tossed, thin crispy crust. The ability to fold for easy on-the-go-eating. This is pizza at its greatest!
After years of hard work, Ryan got his opportunity. Sbarro's was moving out of the mall, but a franchise out of Pittsburgh called Italian Village Pizza was interested in the space. At the end of the day, Ryan became the local owner and operator of an IVP franchise. Since then, Ryan's enthusiasm for pizza has spilled over to thousands of pleased guests who enjoy New York Style pizza.
The Pizza Saga: Pay It Forward
In February of 2024, Italian Village Pizza Lansing started an initiative to fight hunger in Lansing, MI: Pay It Forward. Though not a new concept, the simple idea of pre-paying for another's meal quickly caught on. All of the sudden, people were "paying it forward" specifically for those unable to afford a hot meal.
It didn't take long for people to start paying attention, too, including the news stations. Though Ryan never started this initiative to gain news attention, he happily shared what they were up to. We hope that you are inspired by our little story of Paying It Forward, and that you choose to act on helping those in need of food in some way–whether by participating with us or by another method.
If you'd like to participate in our Pay It Forward initiative, we welcome you to come in-person to our store and ask Ryan or another team member how you can pay it forward. Let's feed more hungry people together!
We'll Give You A Smile As Wide As Our Slices!
But don't take our word for it. Hear it straight from our faithful customers who come back time and again for another slice of New York!
"I get an extra large cheese pizza cut into huge New York style slices. I love being able to fold the slices into a sandwich and eat it like a true New York style slice. Best pizza in town."
Google Review
“Believe it or not this pizza was more New York than I have had in a long time. I love thin, crispy and cheesy pizza!”
Google Review
"I love the pizza here! Not only is it the tastiest pizza I have ever had but it is also a slice the size of my head and I love that."
Google Review
"The employees are always pleasant and the pizza is soooo good, I also liked the Mac and cheese and I don’t even eat Mac and cheese. This is the best place to go by far to get a huge slice of pizza and a side of ranch."
Google Review
