In the Kitchen

Prep’s Pizzeria & Dairy Bar

You don’t have to go far to get the best of both worlds (and a whole lot of love, too)

“When we put out any food its done with love” -Sandy Colao

THIS SUMMER is going to be an interesting one, to say the least. With wearing masks in addition to the usual summer heat, it's going to be hard to breathe in the hot summer air of the Jersey Shore. Almost smothering at times.

If the summer goes that way, it will not be much of a change for manager Sandy Colao and her crew at Prep’s Pizzeria and Dairy Bar at 10th and the Boardwalk. No matter the heat or the season, mask or no mask, Colao makes sure every summer her staff and customers alike are smothered – with love of course.

“We smother every customer with love when they come in here. When we put out any food it's done with love,” says Colao. “You smother these customers with love. If I have five people working when you walk in, I expect five people to say hello to you. That’s how I run the store. I know customers see it and do not feel rushed.”

The love is something ingrained in the employees. Darren Burke, a 27-year employee for Prep’s, says he feels much better when he comes over 9th Street Bridge to come into work.

“I live in Vineland, but when I come over the bridge to come in here…” Darren says, throwing up his arms to the kitchen he works in. Unable to describe the joy that his workspace brings him, he simply smiles.

Prep’s first shows their love for their customers by giving them a presentation, making the

pizzas in plain view for customers and Boardwalk passersby to see. Sending out pre-made piles of dough to Darren and the other ‘pie guys’, the dough is then stretched until it is pie sized. Then those pie guys put on the cheese. The sauce is then distributed over top in a spiral motion, using an old styled kettle that has been a feature of their pizza making process since Prep’s began. They use it, Sandy says, “to get the swirl” of sauce commonly seen on their pizza. After the sauce is on, the pie guys put it straight into the 500 degree oven behind them for a few moments of cooking, operating with ease in tight quarters to create a quality Boardwalk staple.

“I think the quality of our ingredients is good,” says Sandy. “We make our dough and grind our cheese and when we put out any food it is done with love. We do not slop it together – it is consistent.”

The recipe is simple, but it has proven to be a success for almost six decades. Customers coming through for years, on a self assigned ‘pizza test’– strolling along Ocean City’s boardwalk and trying a slice from every pizzeria overlooking the beach – have repeatedly told Prep’s what they are doing works.

“There have been many people who take the test and eat the pizza at every pizza place,” says Colao. “Sometimes I am first, sometimes I am lagging behind [other pizza places]. I want them to always come back [and tell me what they think] – I want to know!”

No matter their rankings in taste tests, what really keeps customers coming back to Prep’s (in addition to the pizza) is the Dairy Bar

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that they have on the premises. Prep’s always has this other card to play. Most pizzerias in Ocean City are in close proximity to a parlor or a Kohr Brothers stand. But with the Dairy Bar inside the establishment, stocked with a full selection of Breyer’s and Richmond ice cream flavors, Prep’s knows how to appeal to their customer’s savory and sweet tooth at the same time.

“We have Breyer's with your basics, and Richmond has crazy fun flavors,” says Sandy. “We have banana splits, brownie sundaes, then of course your sundaes and cones. It all makes everyone happy.”

Aside from all the basics of ice cream, Prep’s has one specialty to blow regulars and newcomers away every time: waffle and ice cream sandwiches. A hot waffle, made to order in a Belgian waffle iron with a scoop of hard ice cream and toppings in an open faced sandwich style, Prep’s really knows how to do their desserts. It is a good thing that there are benches to sit on and the beach within sight of the restaurant – it is overwhelming how much of a pleasant food coma you will be in. After treating yourself to their pizza, waffles and ice cream, you will know that Prep’s knows how to do lunch and dinner.

The way they are going to be serving everyone this year, however, is going to be slightly different. Working around social distancing guidelines and keeping the place sanitary, Sandy is taking every precaution she can to make sure everyone enjoys Prep’s in a safe manner.

“I am well equipped with everything I need to keep my staff and customers safe. I have sanitizers and disinfectants that will be all over the store for the staff and customers to use,” says Sandy. “We have gloves and masks but employees will have face shields, too.”

Usually a sit-in restaurant, Sandy is bringing on a takeout procedure as well and a streamlined ordering style that will keep customers in line to get their food in a safe manner.

“For take out I have a line where the register is and six feet stickers that I am going to put along the Boardwalk to order. On my ice cream side there will be one line only, for ordering, paying and receiving product. I have one person taking money and multiple people fulfilling the orders. There is no one doing both. When that was person is done they will leave and the next person will come up.”

Another thing Sandy is implementing is curbside pick up, a new move for the restaurant. She hopes by doing this, she can keep business moving and avoid accidental exposures.

“Curbside will alleviate people coming onto the Boardwalk that do not need to and prevent unnecessary people from being exposed,” says Sandy. “Cars will come right up in the back on 10th Street and we will run their order out to them.”

This summer is going to definitely be a little different in the kitchen at Prep’s. But hopefully, with their new procedures, they will be as busy as ever.

“It will be a little bit of a speed bump,” says Darren. “But we will all have to adjust, be protected and get used to it.”

- Text by Nick Matousch

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