Owners of local landmark eatery to receive statewide honor

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Brian and Kelly Glynn, owners of local landmark Village Idiot Pizza, will be inducted into the Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame in November.

The husband-and-wife team met at Village Idiot in their 20s while working in the original restaurant in Five Points and purchased the enterprise together in 2003.

They have since expanded to two other locations: 4517 Forest Drive in Forest Acres and Olympia at the Mills off Whaley Street.

The Glynns are also heavily involved in local organizations and philanthropy. Their signature project is Pizza for Preemies, which raises funds and awareness for the S.C. March of Dimes every November. They started the project in honor of their twins, Liam and Willow, and who were born at just 28 weeks.

Kelly Glynn said she and her husband found news of their award “kind of surreal.”

“It’s humbling and very exciting just to be in the same category as all these awesome restaurateurs across the city,” she told SC Biz News. “We’re still in shock about it.”

Glynn happily tells the story of the important role the flagship Five Points location played in both of their lives. Both were USC students and both worked at the restaurant – he was a pizza cook and she was a bartender and waitress.

“We went out on our first date after meeting at the restaurant and the rest is history,” Glynn said.

Both Glynns have tried to create a restaurant atmosphere that combines good food with a welcoming atmosphere over the years, one that Kelly thinks might be the reason they have so many faithful customers.

“I hope they keep coming for the feeling of family and community,” she said. “That is what we try to thread throughout our employee and customer experience. I also think a lot of people have reacted well to our outreach in the community. People want to support you when they know that you also support them.”

The Glynns also released a statement about their recent honor.

“To be inducted into the Restaurant Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor for us, especially as we emerge from one of the hardest times that our industry has faced,” they said. “This honor validates our efforts to always try and put our community first and speaks to the incredible support that we receive in return. We strive to serve not just the best pizza in Columbia, but to make our restaurants feel like home.”

The Village Idiot celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2020.

The Hall of Fame awards are presented by the Greater Columbia Restaurant Association chapter of the S.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association. Inductees will be honored at the annual Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame and Benefit Dinner on Nov. 21.