By Rick Hynum
As a musician and painter—not to mention a former visual and set designer for TV—Steve Bangos has more than one outlet for self-expression. Another is pizza. As owner of Eureka Pizza Co. in Yorba Linda, California, he once told PMQ, “I treat every plate like a canvas—every single dish, whether it’s a salad or a pizza, spaghetti, pasta or a stromboli. I want everything to be the Rembrandt of food. I know it’s going to taste wonderful, but I also want it to be so appealing to the eye that customers’ first impression is, ‘Wow!’”
A new mural, designed and handpainted by Bangos himself on the side of his restaurant’s building, is likely to have that same effect. Tailormade for the social media crowd, it provides an ideal spot for photo ops while also drawing new attention to Eureka Pizza Co., which Bangos and his wife founded in 2014.
Back up to the wall, strike a pose, and suddenly you’re a mighty raptor with glorious wings of cheese and pepperoni.
“In the wake of today’s world and economy, it’s an ongoing effort to constantly invent and re-invent marketing ideas to bring in new customers,” Bangos said. “Every day, we’re faced with more and more challenges in a period of uncertainty.”
Bangos, who was featured on PMQ’s November 2018 cover, said his passions, in addition to the culinary arts, are fine art and commercial art, “all of which came together to create a promotional campaign to strike up interest, intrigue, engagement and interactive participation.”
It was time, in other words, “to put on my creative hat.”
“I had to resort to my painting skills and design a wings mural that individuals would be inclined to take a picture in front of,” he added. “These are not just any wings, but pizza wings!”
Yorba Linda Mayor Tara Campbell and the city council have given the mural their enthusiastic seal of approval and will also host a public unveiling for the artwork on Thursday, October 24. The mayor even posed in front of the mural after awarding Eureka Pizza Co. a certificate of recognition this month in honor of the restaurant’s eighth anniversary, which was celebrated in August.
“Your exceptional commitment to quality, excellence and the delicious contribution you have made to our city have contributed greatly to the success of your business,” the certificate reads. “The City of Yorba Linda congratulates you on this milestone and best wishes for continued success in the years to come.”
As for the mural, Bangos said Yorba Linda has never seen anything like it before. “Our hope is that this mural backdrop gains popularity and public interest, both locally and outside our ZIP code,” he said. “Seeing more traffic through our doors is always a plus…and that’s a good thing for us.”
