Universal Pizza opens on Seivers Boulevard, with full table service
Plenty of diners turned out for the soft opening of Universal Pizza Company on Monday on Charles G. Seivers Boulevard next to Sonic in Clinton. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The restaurant is in the Clinton Shopping Center, between Sonic Drive-In and Wendy’s, just off Interstate 75.
While pizza is the primary offering, there are salad and sandwich options on the menu, along with wings and a choice of 36 varieties of craft beer.
Universal Pizza has table service with a full wait staff.
On Monday afternoon, the dining room was nearly full of customers, despite having no sign outside the building, and no advertising of the opening except for limited mentions on social media.
Big-screen TVs line the walls on both sides of the restaurant, with the west side set up as a bar.
The menu lists appetizers such as garlic knots, wings, fried pickles, cheesy bread, chicken tenders, and chilled buffalo chicken dip served with pita bread.
Under sandwiches, the menu shows three hoagies: meatball, chicken tenders, and Italian; along with a BLT on sourdough bread. All come with fries.
There is also a list of salads, including house, Caesar, Caprese, and Rocket (with arugula, blue cheese, walnuts, bacon bits, and craisins, tossed in citrus vinaigrette).
Regular pizza sizes are 12 and 14 inches, and there is a 10-inch gluten-free pizza offered.
This is also the only pizza place in the area that offers anchovies as a topping.
Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
Owner is Randy Burleson, who also operates the Aubrey’s restaurant group. He said Universal Pizza was patterned after two other area restaurants he owns – Stefano’s Pizza in Hardin Valley and the Blue Tick Tavern in Maryville.
“We will be combining those two concepts into one in the Clinton location,” he said earlier.