Charles Haskins, owner of Frank’s Pizza on the Boardwalk in Carolina Beach, has opened a new Italian eatery in Waterford Village, in the space formerly occupied by Falcone’s Italian Restaurant.

Frank’s Pizza has been a fixture in Carolina Beach since 1992.

Although Haskins took over the lease in Leland at the end of August, the opening of what will be called Frank’s Pizza & Eatery was delayed for several weeks due to Hurricane Florence.

While the Carolina Beach location did not incur any damages during the storm, Haskins has temporarily closed that location for repairs and maintenance while the new location gets up and running. The majority of the Carolina Beach staff is currently working in Leland, including general manager Christopher Smith.

While the Carolina Beach location serves primarily pizza, with a just few salads and sandwiches on the menu, Frank’s new location is serving up a full selection of Italian dishes along with specialty pies, grinders, salads and appetizers. 

“Charles has really stepped it up here,” Christopher Smith said. “All of our sauces and dressings are homemade, every ingredient comes in fresh, is prepped on site, and prepared from scratch. We make our own pizza dough and bring in fresh sub rolls each day from Apple Annie’s Bakery.”

Smith said that Haskins has hired two culinary school graduates to lead the kitchen, along with Luis Santibanez, a well-known local pizza maker with over 35 years of experience. 

“Luis has a following in this area and we’re lucky to have him,” Smith said. “He’s incredible.”

Smith said he is proud to be a part of a restaurant that started as what he calls a “hole in the wall pizza joint,” and has grown to where it is now. 

“The spotlight here is on the food and I can’t say enough about the quality of the ingredients,” Smith said. “There are no corners cut.”

Smith said that while the reopening date for the Carolina Beach location has not yet been determined, he hopes to revamp the menu there as well.

“It’s a very small kitchen there and during the busy season we often have more business than we can handle, so we have to keep things simple,” Smith said. “But there’s always room for improvement.”

Frank’s Pizza & Eatery is located at 2013 Olde Regent Way in Leland and opens at 11 a.m. daily. Local delivery is available. 

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