Photo by DP Steyn from Google Photos
The starting concept behind this column series was to give a spotlight to notable places in Wolfville and get them some attention, places we at the Ath thought deserved some words on and maybe we’d learn somethings about them in the process. Though when I asked Wally Pronto of Pronto’s Pizza if there was anything he thought our readers should know about his business his answer was: “I think they already know everything,” and the thing is he’s probably right about that.
Founded on May 5th, 2000, Pronto’s Pizza has been a staple of Wolfville’s main street for coming up on 25 years now. Prior to opening this location Wally Pronto had already been working in the food service industry for eleven years before that. He ran pizza shops in Greenwood and Newfoundland before focusing entirely on Wolfville because that’s where his kids were growing up and there was a market in the students Acadia university brings in every year. The start of the academic year always brings a spike in new customers, though Pronto says that throughout the year business is steady.
“Steady” is very much the theme that permeated the interview, when asked if there were any dream additions or changes to the outfit he’d like to make Pronto said no, other than that the place could use a general cleaning up. He’s not in any rush to change anything about his store, aside from it not being his for much longer. After just about a quarter-century Pronto is looking forward towards retirement and handing the reigns of Proto’s Pizza to a new owner to keep operation’s going. It’s this impending change of guard that motivates Pronto’s current aversion to major change: “because in case the new owner wants to change things to his liking, so, I [Pronto] don’t want to good money after bad money…”
I remember Pronto’s Pizza as one of the first places I visited in Wolfville, it was the winter of 2021 and I was on a tour of campus with my dad, and we needed something quick for lunch so we stepped into to get a quick slice of pizza and a can of iced tea. I don’t think our experience of with the business differs from many other people who come to Wolfville, as Pronto recalls recognizing the same people coming in for pizza 2 to 4 times a week. Considering that Pronto’s is one of the first places you’ll run into on your way into town from campus it’s no surprise that it become such a fixture of Acadia students. The idea of a Pronto’s not run by Pronto himself is strange to think about, but he seems ready for the change and I won’t deny that I’m curious to see what it could mean for future Acadia students and Wolfville. Hey, as long as the Pizza is still good, I won’t be complaining.
If you’ve somehow never heard of Pronto’s before reading this and are now curious, it can be found on 467 Main Street, Wolfville.
