Pinehurst Pizza Goes Yeast Mode

Pinehurst Pizza is tossing things up as ownership moves to the next generation. August Beechler and his wife, Lynne, opened Pinehurst Pizza in 2011, not long after moving to Pinehurst from New Jersey, in the pursuit of golf. These days, his son, AJ and daughter-in-law Sam, are all in on the family business. “I’ve always known I was either going to play golf or take over Pinehurst Pizza,” says AJ Beechler. The young couple also owns Beechler Farms, which sells sourdough and other natural products which they plan to incorporate into Pinehurst Pizza. 

The family already uses as much locally sourced produce in the restaurant as possible, including some grown right at home, to create homemade favorites like vodka sauce, hot sauce and more. The full bar features locally made beer and spirits as well. Guests can look forward to new menu options such as sourdough pizza crust alongside traditional and gluten-free choices. They’ve also transitioned to using beef tallow for all of their fried foods. 

“This is as mom and pop as it gets,” says Sam who has worked to give the place a facelift, showcasing August’s golf legacy as well as AJ’s. August (who also goes by his middle name, Doug) is even in the Guinness Book of World records for shooting a 58 in a round of golf at just 13 years old. It’s not uncommon for a patron to get a swing lesson from August with a pizza shovel.

“We’re here more than we’re at home, but it doesn’t always feel like work because we really take pride in what we do. And we get to do it together with our family and raise our son here. It’s a lot to manage it all, but it’s so worth it,” says Sam.

• Thursday, Oct. 29, 5-9 p.m.: Stop in for dinner and a Halloween party with music bingo, a haunted putting green and a costume contest. Love at first bite.