Pizza place to open in former Gallery Bistro spot

The owner of the building that formerly housed Gallery Bistro says an Osage Beach man has signed a lease for the space and is planning an April launch of a downtown pizza restaurant.

Jan Hyde, co-owner of the building at 221 E. Walnut St., said she and her husband, Kent, have owned the property since 1988, and saw the rise and fall of Gallery Bistro, which closed Jan. 1 after 15 years in business.

"It is a sad moment in time," she said, noting the restaurant's following through the years was admirable. "Fifteen years for a restaurant is rather successful. To have that patronage to the very end was a good thing."

Peter Tinson, former owner of Gallery Bistro and an adjunct instructor of culinary arts at Ozarks Technical Community College, founded the restaurant in 1997 with partners James Clary and Cindy and George Flynn, according to a Missouri secretary of state filing. Tinson and Clary, now the culinary director of Pyramid Foods, could not be reached for comment by deadline.

Hyde said Chris Galloway plans to open Pappo's Pizzeria & Pub April 1 in 2,700 square feet on the bottom floor of the East Walnut Street building. She declined to disclose the details of the lease. Galloway did not respond to repeated phone calls.

Hyde, who also showcases art at Hyde Gallery in 2,700 square feet above the restaurant space, said she is excited for the new tenant.

"It's something that doesn't really exist downtown right now," Hyde said, pointing to the restaurant's gourmet-style offerings and lunch and dinner hours. "They're doing something unique and different in terms of pizza."

According to the eatery's Twitter page, Pappo's will offer beer from Springfield-based Mother's Brewing Co. and a variety of other craft brews.
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