Not ‘blowing up yet,’ growing farm town outside Boise gets its first chain restaurant

Steve and Angela Martinez saw lots of reasons to bring Extreme Pizza to Melba — and not just because you can count the number of dining competitors on one hand.

They had moved there from Nampa about a year ago, seeking a home with more land. A countryside feel.

Steve had always dreamed of owning his own business.

After eating at an Extreme Pizza restaurant in Caldwell, their family had fallen in love with the franchise chain’s concept. Not only with the creative pies, but with the customer-service focus. The local franchise owner made an effort to know their name when they returned.

So on Monday, the couple celebrated the grand opening of their own Extreme Pizza. In Melba, a small but soon-to-grow farm community 45 minutes from Boise.

“We’re really grateful,” says Angela Martinez, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband.

In a town that calls itself the “Seed Heart of America” — population just below 600, give or take a tractor — Extreme Pizza is a first.

“We’ve never had a chain restaurant in Melba,” Mayor Cory Dickard says. “And it’s nice to have. It’s not a major chain like McDonald’s. I don’t even know if most people know it was a chain.”

Melba’s other four eateries are traditional independent businesses. Famous in town for burgers, there’s Cook’s Two Hole Bar & Grill. Buck’s Saloon & Steakhouse is another bar option. Folks can get Mexican at Tacos El Centro, a food truck that went brick-and-mortar. Jessie’s Small Town Goodness, a cafe, opened as a pizza joint before changing owners, Dickard says.

“It was pretty good, but he was the only guy working there, and he was working himself to death,” the mayor says.

Extreme Pizza’s rollup garage doors exude an urban vibe in this agricultural town. Those came with the building, previously home to Owyhee BBQ, 207 4th St., which opened in late 2018. “They built that place brand-new,” Dickard explains. It lasted until “COVID hit and shut ’em down,” he says.

Growing population

In between bites of Extreme Pizza, residents probably won’t pray for more chains. Even the locally owned franchise kind.

“People see a restaurant,” Dickard says, “and they’re like, ‘Next we’re gonna have Walmart.’ ”

“A second chain restaurant would make me nervous,” he says. “A major chain restaurant wouldn’t make it in this town.”

Still, Idahoans might need both hands to count Melba’s restaurants someday soon. Three subdivisions are in the works, which will increase the population.

Last year, three new subdivisions were proposed that could have nearly doubled the number of folks in Melba. The City Council reacted with a six-month emergency moratorium on development. But, with controlled growth in mind, Melba’s gates cracked open again in 2022.

Two of those proposals, RoyalMaid Estates and Freedom Park, have received initial planning nods, Dickard says. Melba Estates, a 26-house subdivision, was under construction prior to the moratorium.

Like other Idaho towns — exploding Kuna 14 miles northeast, for example — Melba is drawing attention. But things aren’t spiraling out of control so far.

“It doesn’t sound like it’s blowing up yet,” Dickard says. “But there’s fear of that happening.”

‘Mom-and-pop shop’

Founded in 1994 in San Francisco, Extreme Pizza specializes in extreme sports-branded signature pies, sub sandwiches, wings, calzones, salads and desserts. Pizzas on the Melba menu run from $7.50 for an 8-inch “individual” to $24.99 for an 18-inch “huge.”

Most Extreme Pizzas are in California, but the brand made its Idaho debut in 2011, opening in Boise. It followed with a Caldwell restaurant in 2020. All three Treasure Valley stores have separate Idaho franchisees.

Like all Melba restaurants, Dickard says, Extreme Pizza will have down times. “I told these owners when they visited with me that it’s got to be kind of a mom-and-pop shop for a while. Because you’re not always going to be busy.”

School-related activities nearby will help. And Melba’s annual Fourth of July celebration is like Black Friday for local businesses, Dickard says, with 15,000 to 20,000 visitors. “That’s our day to make it shine,” he says.

Angela Martinez sees other potential opportunities for Extreme Pizza.

“We know that there’s also the possibility of people stopping by when they’re going out to Silver City,” she says, “or to Givens Hot Springs, or when there’s sporting events.

“There’s gonna be ebbs and flows, but as long as we continue to give the community what they want — which is good-quality food — it appears that they’ll support us.”

And what does the Melba community want so far?

“We have noticed that our Paia Pie, which is an extreme take on a Hawaiian pizza, is a really great seller out here,” Martinez says. Her kids prefer the sausage- and smoked bacon-covered Aveiro — “a meat one, which definitely appeals to the bones of Idaho, which is meat and potatoes.”

Takeout, delivery

Another thing that Melba folks crave? Delivery. Elderly residents, in particular, have asked for it, Martinez says.

“That’s coming. We’ve got to get the drivers,” she says. “Eighteen years and older.”

In the meantime, Extreme Pizza will rely on takeout and indoor dining. The restaurant will offer seasonal outdoor seating, too.

Save a slice for Melba’s mayor.

“Extreme Pizza is good pizza,” Dickard says. “We’re happy to have them. ... It’s always nice to have these options. Most people, if you want a pizza, you’ve gotta drive to Kuna or Nampa to get it.”

▪ Extreme Pizza in Melba is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Order online and view the menu at extremepizza.com.

This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 4:00 AM.