Austin’s oldest pizza place is under new ownership.

Larry and Debbie Peck and their family bought George’s Pizza Monday from Kevin Soiney, and the family is enjoying its first week as owners as they look ahead to the future of one of Austin’s oldest restaurants.

“We’re honored,” Larry said. “It’s been a tradition in Austin since 1958.”

Larry and Debbie’s son, Jeremy, has worked at George’s for 22 years and will continue as manager, but he’s also taking on additional duties of running the day-to-day business as vice president.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Jeremy said. “It’s been nice. We have the same people, customers coming in all the time, the same faces, and it’ll be nice to deal with them more personally.”

The Peck’s first brought up the possibility of buying the business to Soiney a few years ago, and negotiations started in August before the sale closed this week.

The Peck’s will retain all of George’s recipes for the sauces, crusts, sausages, lasagna and more.

“Everything will stay the same as what it was,” Larry said. “The dough will be the same.”

George’s will continue to use fresh Wisconsin cheese on its pizza, and the Peck’s plan to continue grinding and spicing their own sausage at the restaurant.

“We’re using the same recipes that were instituted here in 1958,” Larry said.

Two other staples — the jukebox and the trademark large fish — will also stay in the restaurant.

Despite sticking with tradition, some changes are coming to George’s. The Pecks are already looking to add to the menu, and one goal is to add a fryer for french fries, onion rings, chicken strips and more, but George’s will remain predominantly a pizza place.

“It’s known for its pizza, so we don’t want to make too many changes and try to reinvent the wheel per se,” Larry said. “We’re going to go with the strength of George’s. It’s always been their pizza, their crust, their cheese, their meats, and we’re going to stay with their strengths.”

Larry said they’re looking to try and better service the community and want to improve the dine-in options. The Pecks already obtained a liquor license to sell wine along with the current tap beer, and they could add bottled beers.

“It’s a long term plan to increase business,” Larry said.

The family plans to add wifi for customers and a 50-inch television, which could eventually make for three TVs to have sporting events playing.

George’s has about 14 employees and all are expected to stay on staff.

For now, George’s will keep its daily 4 p.m. to midnight hours, but the Peck’s will explore extending hours next spring. George’s was originally on the Robbins block and moved as part of the Mower County Jail and Justice Center project to its current location at 209 N. Main St. in 2009.

Debbie sees George’s as a true family restaurant, as she noted they’ll be just the third owners of George’s.

“It’s part of Austin,” Debbie said.

The Pecks say they’ve enjoyed a good first week with many friends, family members and George’s regulars.

“It was a very pleasant experience for us,” Larry said.

The Pecks have lived in Austin for all of their lives. Larry is a 1971 Austin High School graduate and Debbie graduated from AHS in 1972. The couple married in 1973 and has three sons, Jeremy, Bryan and Michael, and five grandchildren, and they’re excited to share the business with their family.

“It’s really a family operation,” Larry said.

Larry and Debbie recalled bringing their children to George’s when they were little, where they enjoyed going up to a space at the front window where kids could watch staff making the pizzas. The staff will often give the kids a piece of cheese or pepperoni.

“That’s what our kids grew up with when they were little,” said Debbie, who added their grandchildren now love partaking in the tradition.

Debbie recalled bringing their children to the business when they were little, and they always enjoyed watching the pizzas be made.

Though Larry and Debbie will continue their careers, they plan to be involved in the business and to help out on weekends. Larry is a factory sales representative for Standard Motor Products, and Debbie works at Hormel Foods Corp.’s north corporate office.

Though Larry joked the process of buying a business was more involved then he anticipated, he and Debbie have enjoyed sharing the experience with their family.

“It’s really been a fun time,” Larry said. “It’s been very busy, but just having help and assistance from everybody when everybody comes together has been nice, very nice.”