Arthur’s; The Tradition Lives On

The Godfather’s Pizza franchise in Scottsbluff, Nebraska was opened in 1976 by Arthur (Art) Thiele. The restaurant is now owned by Art’s son, Dave Thiele. That franchise was in place for 45 years, but when the new franchise contract was shorter and more expensive, Dave took the plunge to make the classic pizzaria his own.

“It came down to the point where I would rather wear my father’s name on a shirt than their name. The way things have gone, it was just God’s way of dropping it in my lap” – Owner, Dave Thiele

Thiele took over ownership in 2009, but in April of 2021, Dave transitioned to his own independent pizzaria, naming it after his father. Arthur’s Pizza still makes pizza the way his father always did. The dough is freshly made everyday by hand and you can certianly taste the difference.

Several old-school arcade games are located at the front of the restaurant just like we remember as kids. Dave makes sure to keep the games working and fresh. Arthur’s is still a common destination for family gatherings, sports teams, and birthday parties. “Birthdays and pizza are like hand and glove,” Thiele said.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Arthur’s Pizza now serves pizza by the slice in an effort to serve the lunch crowd more efficiently. Their slogan ‘Made in 21′, refers to both the year it became an independent business, and the county it serves.

Dave loves to get to know his customers, so stop in some afternoon and visit with him. And grab yourself a pizza while your at it, like the popular Five Meat or the famous Fiesta Pizza. You’ll be glad you did.

While we’re not typically too keen on tooting our own horn around here, this bit of recognition was quite special and so much bigger than any one person…so we thought we’d take the opportunity to share a few thoughts here, as they relate to our overarching philosophy: Earlier this week, as part of Developmental Disability Awareness Month, we were honored to be recognized by the State of Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services as a recipient of their “Creative Employer Award”, one of three businesses in the state selected to receive such in 2024. While on its face, this is an award honoring an individual employer, we feel in our case it actually goes much deeper than that and serves as a testament to the commitment that every member of our team has made, toward fostering an environment conducive to being nominated to receive such an honor.

You see, here at Arthur’s, our crew has always seemed to have been made up of individuals who come from uniquely varied backgrounds. Some of us are young, some are old; some are male, some are female; some are white, some are brown. Others may have the distinction of being labeled “disabled”, yet they posses skills and abilities that make them uniquely well-suited to excel at the jobs they do. One thing we all share in common is a willingness to leave those things that make us different at the door when we walk through it and clock in. And in that time spent working together, instead focus on that which makes us the same…mainly a desire to work together and help one another and serve our customers with the highest levels of quality and service that we are able.

To this end, we don’t rely on any magic hiring secrets or snazzy management techniques, but rather common sense basics of respect and courtesy: We say “please” when requesting the help of others; we say “thank you” when someone lends us a hand; we encourage each other by saying “good job” whenever it’s appropriate; when a mistake is made, we don’t attack the person who made it with criticism, but patiently correct them with a gentle “here’s how we do that the next time.” Now that’s not to suggest that we absolutely never get on each other’s nerves or lose our cool…but in those moments, we are also always quick to apologize to one another afterward and not carry grudges against each other going forward. Over the years, these simple principles have served us well in creating a workplace environment that is respectful to those of all differing backgrounds and walks of life. Hopefully this philosophy has likewise transferred over and been reflected in our interactions while serving our customers and guests.

Many years ago, we became familiar with a group called “People First”. This group, for lack of a better description, is a social club for people with developmental disabilities. For some reason, the name of this group always stuck with us and I guess you could say we’ve adopted it as a mantra and guiding light of sorts. As it so succinctly describes and reminds us all that, despite our differences and those traits that make us unique and special, those talents and abilities that come easily to some and less naturally to others, while also setting aside our varied backgrounds that have helped to inform our personalities and talents and who we are as individuals…above all else, we are “people first” and we all deserve to be treated accordingly: first and foremost with common courtesy and respect for one another’s dignity. On that basis, it is a tremendous honor to receive recognition of one area in which our team has succeeded in our efforts to meet that end.

We wish to express our thanks and gratitude to Steve Corsi and Tony Green from the Nebraska DHHS for coming out from Lincoln to present us with this award, as well as our great supporters Pat Horner and Wendy Kemling-Horner for nominating us for this honor.