I want to do things a little differently this week and share about a local business.
I don’t know about you, but when my family and I go on vacation, we like to go out to eat and try new restaurants. You’re in a whole new area, and the choices are never-ending. But I still swear that Lycoming County has the BEST pizza, cheesesteaks, and wings.
I’ve had pizza in many different states, and it’s far from tasting as good as Park Pizza. I have had cheesesteaks in other states, but they don’t touch Newberry Subs. Honestly, they are pretty disappointing, so I just stopped getting them if I am out of the state. I think I was in Nashville or Gatlinburg, and it was like a slab of steak instead of being chopped up. It was so weird and totally unexpected. Wings just don’t hit like they do from Nippenose Tavern with my favorite gold and tangy sauce! I think we have so many incredible places to eat in our county. We are seriously so lucky!
Our crew typically goes out every weekend. On Wednesday, I’ll start a mass text, and we’ll decide where we want to go, and I’ll get reservations. We rotate our favorite places in the area, and then we’ll try new places if one of us hears that a certain new restaurant is really good.
At Christmastime, one of my girlfriends, Kristen Patryna, mentioned that her best friend, Jenn Fuess, had a new restaurant called Big Times and that I should try it out. She kept telling me how awesome it was! She and I don’t get to see each other as much as we would like, so we talked about getting together for lunch someday. January and February flew by, and we never got together until March. Kristen, Tania Myers, and I met for lunch at this restaurant called BIG TIMES in Williamsport.
Owners Tim Harer and Jenn Fuess opened this restaurant and catering service in October 2023. It’s a cute little place with a great atmosphere. The chairs immediately caught my eye, and family photos were on the wall. It was decorated so cutely! It is located at 247 Campbell Street in Williamsport.
Tim was the previous co-owner of Old School Pizza for 15 years, but he first worked at Hoss’s, where he met Jenn. Tim was a manager/cook, and Jenn was a waitress for Hoss’s 20 years ago. This is where the magic began for the restaurant business.
The menu at Big Times had anything I could possibly want. Tania and I wanted to try it all! The pizza sounded amazing, with salads, wings, strombolis, burgers, and luscious-sounding dinners. They even have breakfast, ALL DAY! Jenn told us Tim even made homemade bread. The choices were tough, but we both ordered their chicken Caesar salad and got mozzarella sticks to share. We then noticed that the personal pizzas were $6, and the Pig Pile sounded incredible! A personal pizza with BBQ sauce, ham, bacon, pulled pork, and pineapple. We thought what the heck, let’s try it. (Except I didn’t want pineapple on my half. Yeah, I am one of those people. Sorry!) Then Tania threw in another pizza called the Roasted Veggie. It had white sauce with a bunch of roasted veggies on it. So, we got samples of a few different items to share. We weren’t playing around!
The salad was so delicious! The chicken was perfectly seasoned, too. The mozz sticks were amazing. I can’t say I have ever had bad cheese. Haha. But the Pig Pile hit differently. I had never had pizza with BBQ sauce. The crust was unbelievable! Perfect amount of sauce topped with so much protein. It was absolutely delicious!
At this point, Tania and I were like, “We have to bring our crew here.” We already made reservations at another restaurant we hadn’t been to in months, but when we talked to Jenn and asked her if she could get thirteen of us in for that following night, she happily took our reservations.
See, I was having surgery that following week, so this was our last big night out for a while. I haven’t been out to eat since my surgery, and that’s saying something because going out to eat is my favorite hobby. *Enter cheesy smile here!*
I can’t wait to get back to places like Big Times, Nippenose Tavern, Trail Inn, Masteo’s, and more! I felt bad calling to cancel our other reservations, but it was over 24 hours in advance, and they were super understanding. We don’t typically do this.
When I arrived home with leftover pig pile pizza, I had slices for Chris, Ty, and Kenzy to try. They loved it!! Ty was like, “Mom. Where is this from!? It’s amazing! I want more.” I told him we had reservations for the next evening as I handed my husband a copy of the menu we brought home.
The next evening, we were excited for everyone to try this place. We knew the boys would love the reclining chairs, too. That night, I ordered their smash burger. It was so good! I took the other half home, and it heated up great. Chris ordered a chicken sandwich, and we both shared a personal stromboli that was $5 to try! (YES, $5!!) Ty got a medium piggy pizza and was shocked at how big it was when it came out, as Kenzy got the personal piggy pizza. Friends ordered all kinds of things on the menu, and everyone truly seemed to enjoy what they got. The service was amazing. The environment was so cozy for a large group to visit. The owners are so kind and appreciative!
Our friends Rich and Cindi Solarek even stopped by for the first time after I told them about this place and ended up joining our table! It was now a party of 15. Cindi ended up telling her friends and family about BIG TIMES too. They loved it!
I’m looking forward to going back and trying their wings and some dinners, too, or even getting that amazing salad or burger again. Go check out this hidden little gem. They also do delivery and pick up for to-go orders. Their prices are so reasonable too, it’s crazy! You can reach them at 272-202-4103. Instead of a recipe this week, I will show you some pictures I took of their food. I hope your mouth starts watering and you go visit BIG TIMES soon!
