Shake’s CEO Corey Osborne Goes for Slice of Fayetteville Pizza Market

Corey Osborne

Corey Osborne, the CEO of Shake’s Frozen Custard of Fayetteville, is branching out with a new fast-casual restaurant.

Osborne said he will open Ozzys next to Starbucks at 2117 W. Martin Luther King Blvd. in mid-August. Osborne said Ozzys will serve customized individual pizzas, as well as salads

“Customers will tell us exactly what they want on it,” Osborne said. “We’re going to focus entirely on the product.”

Osborne said he is still working out the final details on pricing and exact toppings that he will offer.

The concept calls for customers to choose the crust, sauce, and meat and vegetable toppings they want on a pizza, which Ozzys then cooks. He has gotten the cooking time for the pizza to less than two minutes, Osborne said.

Ozzys will occupy a 960-SF space that is part of a building bought by T.J. Lefler and three partners for $975,000 from Bryan Hunt in January. Osborne agreed to replace Phoebe’s Treats as tenant and has spent the past few months building out the space.

Osborne said there will not be a lot of in-restaurant seating and no drive-through service, although he expects future locations will have both.

“It’s the perfect little location for us to reach fast-casual customers,” he said.

Osborne said Ozzys will also serve a scaled-down menu of Shake’s Frozen Custards. He’s excited about the concept and is already envisioning opening more Ozzys restaurants, he said.

“With Shake’s, this gives us a one-two punch,” Osborne said. “With Ozzys, we can put the locations closer to each other. Lunch is such a gigantic market.”