While Ted “Shorty” Browning was a student at Baylor University, he knew something was missing — a college pizza hangout near campus.

He knew one of the spaces nestled in a strip of a three businesses at 1712 S. 12th Street, on the perimeter of campus, would be the perfect location.

The 2001 Baylor graduate’s vision came to fruition nearly 10 years later with the opening of Shorty’s Pizza Shack earlier this month.

Customer Andrew Turnbough enjoys a pizza while watching the big-screen TV at Shorty's Pizza at 1712 S. 12th St. in Waco.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

“I wanted a laid-back college pizza place where people could hang out and have a beer,” he said. “I’ve had it in my head the whole time, what it would look like.”

One night last February, after getting off work at a nearby restaurant, he decided to drive by the lot to see if it was available.

It was. He spent nearly a year renovating the space, largely on his own.

“I know where every nail is, every pipe is and every wire is in this place,” Browning said. “But it’s better that way.”

While his pizza vision is smack in the hub of thousands of hungry college students, Shorty’s also is located in a space that has seen many restaurants come and go.

Past eateries have included a seafood restaurant and a delivery wings restaurant.

One veteran pizza maker in Waco said the attraction of being near Baylor can be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.

“It’s kind of hard around the Baylor campus,” said Mary Duty, owner of the popular Poppa Rollo’s on Valley Mills Drive.

Duty thinks location can be a factor in the success of a restaurant. There used to be other Poppa Rollo’s locations near Baylor, but her husband, Roland Duty, decided to focus on the Valley Mills Drive location.

“To survive the market slumps, having a solid foot in the Waco door was helpful because it lessens those bumps” between busy and slow times,” Mary Duty said.

James Roberts, a marketing professor at Baylor, said many factors affect the success of a business.

“It’s do they have a product that meets the needs of their customers? And as always in retail, location, location, location,” he said.

But Shorty’s may be fighting “an uphill battle” because of all the competition surrounding the restaurant, Roberts said. Domino’s Pizza and Food for Thought are only a block from Shorty’s.

But Coldwell Banker Commercial vice president Brad Davis said a business’ success is “a function of what you’re serving and the quality of the product.

“It’s important to be close, but it’s more important to serve good stuff.”

Davis, who deals primarily with commercial real estate properties, said he thinks Shorty’s atmosphere lends itself more to the college crowd than something like the previous seafood restaurant.

2001 Baylor University graduate Ted “Shorty” Browning opened Shorty’s Pizza at South 12th Street near the school’s campus on Feb. 1.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Shorty’s seats 60 people inside its 1,700-square-foot space that boasts tall tables and bar stools. Its enclosed outdoor patio accommodates another 60 people.

The walls are Baylor green with large TV screens displaying sporting events.

The business offers pizza by the slice and a variety of 14- and 18-inch pies. The kitchen manager and head chef, 23-year-old Donnie Colaku, hails from New Jersey.

Browning considers him an integral part of the operation.

“We have New York-style pizza by a guy from New Jersey,” he said. “It doesn’t get better than that.”

The dough is hand-made and stretched, and pizzas are baked in brick ovens. Shorty’s offers a variety of other items, including wings, salads and even a brownie sundae.

Duty thinks the pizza-and-beer combination are a “solid market mix,” and Shorty’s ought to see success from it.

She also advised Shorty’s to make a mark in the community.

“It’s the idea of sit-down dining,” she said. “Their whole idea is to capture that other person, the one who wants to get out of the house, away from the books. . . . It’ll be exciting to watch it unfold.”

Having been in business more than 40 years, Duty thinks she has the perfect recipe for success.

“You have to have a quality product at a reasonable price and you have to provide service with a smile, always,” she said. “It’s hard work. You have to be willing to work long hours and put your life into it to make it work.”

cquackenbush@wacotrib.com

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