Duner's Pizza

ADDRESS: 9940 W. Happy Valley Road, Peoria, on the northwest corner of 99th Avenue and Happy Valley Road.

PHONE NUMBER: 623-362-8700

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

OWNERS: Lee and Nicole Banning, Sean and Doni Deal.

CUISINE: Pizza, subs, salads, calzones and wings.

SEATS: 40-50.

OPEN SINCE: January.

WEB SITE: www.dunerspizza.com.

SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: Pizza and wings. The dough and sauce are made fresh daily. Jumbo wings are fresh and never pre-cooked, the owners said.

POPULAR APPETIZER: Mozzarella sticks.

POPULAR LUNCH ENTREÉ: Lunch special - two slices of cheese pizza and a medium drink for $4.99.

POPULAR DINNER ENTREÉ: Medium Crew Special - large, one-topping pizza, 25 wings and a liter of soda for $25.

POPULAR DESSERT: Banana Fosters - deep-fried banana with brown sugar and cream cheese ($5.99 for 12-piece, $3.99 for 6-piece).

AVAILABLE FOR: Dine in, take out, catering and delivery (online ordering is available through www.mrmenu.com).

PRICE RANGE: $2.50 (garlic bread) to $21.95 for single-ordered items.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW: This is the fourth Duner's location, with the others in Laveen, Tolleson and Buckeye. The Peoria location offers happy hour from 4:30 to 7 p.m. every day, featuring bottled and draft beer for $1.50, pitchers for $3.50, $3 wine by the glass and $1 off all appetizers. Also, watch major sporting events on one of several televisions. Come to Friday Night Rhinos with custom Rhinos, race Rhinos and other UTVs from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of each month (the next one is Sept. 5, sponsored by www.RhinoForums.net and Duner's Pizza). 

UNIQUE TIDBITS: After Lee and Sean started a franchise business, they realized they no longer wanted the constraints that came along with corporate franchises. The family decided to start their own company with their own rules. Lee and Sean grew up in the Southwest Valley. Lee and Nicole were Tolleson High School sweethearts and worked at the same family-owned pizza restaurant growing up. The name comes from the owners' sport of choice and their passion outside of making pizzas - riding the sand dunes. The four locations the family chose for their small-town atmosphere and need for more than your average "chain" pizza joint. After Sean passed away in March, it has become the family's mission to keep his dream alive. With four Duner's Pizza locations, and three children, Lee and Nicole are living their dream of becoming a family of restaurant entrepreneurs.

SPECIALS: On Mondays, kids 12 and younger eat free between 4 and 8 p.m. Get a free kids cheese pizza and small drink with the purchase of any adult meal, $5.95 or more. Tuesday is "Family Day." Families get 25 percent off the entire bill all day when they dine in. Wednesdays are "Mid-Day Happy Hour," with half off any large pizza from 2 to 4 p.m. including specialty pizzas. Duner's Pizza provides a 15 percent discount every day for seniors, military, police officers and firefighters while on duty or with proper identification. The restaurant partners with local teams and schools for fund-raisers. In these events, students clean tables and hand out small items such as salad dressing, and the school or team receives 10 percent of net proceeds for the day.

FUTURE PLANS: "Most of all we want to be the place that everyone comes to for parties, family nights and get-togethers, not only because we have great food, but we also have great customer service and a great atmosphere," the owners said in a press release. "That's what will make us successful in the long run."

SLOGAN: "The Freshest Ingredients, The Best Pizza, From Our Family To Yours."

Do you know of a great restaurant in the West Valley you'd like to see in our Dining Out feature? Call Brittany Woodruff, 623-876-2527, or e-mail bwoodruff@yourwestvalley.com.