Cutter’s Pizzeria opened its second location in Oxford April 29th, 2020. Cutter’s Pizzeria of Oxford opened as the Covid-19 pandemic began and the country began to shut down. At the time, Wise Guys Pizzeria was shutting down and Cutter’s Pizzeria bought their equipment and saved 4 Wise Guys employees from being laid off. Cutter’s Pizzeria hired 5 new employees with the expansion as many businesses were laying off employees.
Wednesday, Cutter mentioned that both stores were giving customers 10% when they used code: ThankYou. He said “Cutter’s Pizzeria is so thankful to have such loyal customers who support our small business. Wayne and I could not be more proud and grateful for the love and support that our community has shown us over the past two years through these often challenging times.”
In the past 2 years, Cutter’s has been able to give back to the community. Cutter’s has donated $25,000+ in support of students, schools, non-profits, disaster relief, and community needs with donations, discounts, and free pizza. Cutter’s has lately donated through sponsoring a table at Donoho’s International fair, giving door prizes to the City of Oxford’s Mardi Gra 5k race, and feeding Alexandria’s Softball team.
Cutter’s has committed to being a positive place to work. Cutter’s Pizzeria has a minimum wage of $9 with plans to increase that to $10 by next year, ensures 100% of staff have health insurance benefits, provides 6 days Paid Time Off, provides custom mental health resources, and gives unlimited requests off. On top of this, Cutter’s provides staff with free servsafe certification testing and has a 90% certification rate. This important certification helps ensure staff understand safe food handling and storage and that Cutter’s Pizzeria is protecting food quality.
In discussing the staffing challenges faced by local businesses, Cutter said “this business has allowed me to develop a team of outstanding employees who go above and beyond daily. They create great experiences and delicious food for every customer. I appreciate the team we have and try to create a positive work environment for each and every staff member. The benefits and higher pay we provide are aligned with our core community and family values and beliefs and have helped us weather through without the extreme staffing shortages that some other restaurants have seen.”
Cutter’s Pizzeria partners with local nonprofits and businesses to expand its impact on the community. Recently, Cutter’s has partnered with 5 local, small businesses to host giveaways to raise awareness about other local, small businesses in the community, including the Music Box, Called Coffee, Barefoot Mercantile, the Loc Kingdom, and The Natural ER.
Cutter’s Pizzeria offers discounts for veterans and military personnel as a thank you for their service. Next week, Cutter’s will provide a discount to Nurses for Nurses Week and Teachers for Teachers Appreciation week as a thank you for all they have done through the past two years.
In an email to customers, Cutter wrote: “Two years ago, we expanded to our second location in Oxford. It is a privilege to have the support and love from our customers, community, and friends. We could not have had a successful two years without this support. I am overwhelmed with pride of accomplishing my dream of opening and successfully growing a small business in my hometown. I’m grateful for my team and community for helping make this possible and supporting us through the hard times the past two years have brought upon our community.”
Cutter a co-owner of Cutter’s Pizzeria was named Jacksonville State University’s 2021 Young Alum of the year for being “a community advocate and business owner with a strong drive to make a positive impact.” He also won the Calhoun Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Young Professional of the Year and was accepted into the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Calhoun County program for 2022. A 38+ year program that is designed to prepare and provide leadership opportunities for local professionals.
