A new Gambino’s Pizza restaurant will open within the next few weeks in downtown Great Bend, thanks to a partnership between the new owner and My Town LLC. This will be Jana Herdman’s fourth Gambino’s Pizza site in central Kansas.
Herdman is a Rush Center resident, who owns Gambino’s Pizza franchises in Hays, La Crosse and Victoria.
“Great Bend is a great market for Gambino’s Pizza,” Herdman said. “My Town was able to offer a great building that I think will work perfectly for our store.”
The new enterprise will be located at 1309 Main, most recently the location of Treaders. It will be called Gambino’s Pizza at Treaders Place and Herdman anticipates it will open Monday, Aug. 20; Treaders last day was Saturday, July 28.
The popular Kids’ Zone and Argonne Arcade will remain.
“We will be employing between 10 and 15 people,” Herdman noted. “We will have a full menu, including a daily lunch buffet.”
Mark Bitter, a member of the My Town Board of Directors, said Gambino’s Pizza is a perfect fit for downtown.
“It will be great for foot traffic in our business district now and even more so next spring when the new movie theater opens,” Bitter said. “It is safe to say that tens of thousands of people will be visiting downtown each year, thanks to the six-screen theater enterprise.
“Most of us think that a movie and a pizza go together,” he added. “But they also will have other choices on the menu.”
When My Town was incorporated, the goal was to re-populate downtown, and Gambino’s Pizza is consistent with that goal.
“We knew we needed to get more people downtown in a manner that would enhance the community,” Bitter said. “And we knew the only way to do that was to help businesses get up and running.
“In a lot of ways, My Town is a business incubator. And because of that we have always known there would be transitions,” he continued. “This is one example of taking a good thing and making it better. We are at the next level with this refurbished building and Gambino’s Pizza will accommodate more residents of Great Bend and surrounding communities.”
Tina Mingenback, My Town general manager, noted that Gambino’s Pizza meets even more of the local corporation’s goals.
“It offers a family friendly atmosphere and great food, which customers have told us they want downtown,” Mingenback said. “Our short- and long-term goals are focused on the re-development of downtown so that it is a dynamic shopping and entertainment district.
“We are always looking for ways to grow the retail backbone of our community, and this transition allows us to move forward and look for the next piece of the puzzle,” Mingenback continued. “All of us are thrilled that Jana Herdman agreed to bring her expertise to our downtown. She understands the central Kansas market and will be a valuable asset.”
Mingenback and Bitter mentioned a few of My Town’s accomplishments and community benefits. These include:
• A $1.4 million investment in downtown real estate and renovations;
• A $2.3 million investment by the local private sector;
• 15,000 volunteer hours;
• • Twenty-nine new or expanded downtown businesses;
• Increased real estate values;  
• 28 new jobs created.