First Look: Inside Hive Pizza, Baton Rouge’s newest pizza restaurant

“A place for people to gather.” This the mentality behind Baton Rouge’s newest fast-casual pizza joint, Hive Pizza. 

And while gathering is tough at the moment because of the pandemic, owner Brad Mire has built this restaurant with the future in mind.

When Hive Pizza opens its doors on Siegen Lane later this month, it will do so with a space that is as flexible and versatile as its menu. Diners can create their own pizza, or choose one of the eight to 10 signature pizzas by the Hive team. They can order their food to-go using Hive’s app and digital loyalty program, or they can eat inside the restaurant, seated inside large booths or on bleacher-style benches with plenty of space for distancing.

Inside the modern-industrial restaurant, hexagon-shaped tile and light fixtures, yellow neon lights and bumblebee illustrations on the floor nod to the hive theme. 

In a gas-fired oven, an infrared stone means crispier crusts and pizzas ready in under two and a half minutes, Mire says. Ordering and receiving your pizza faster allows you to spend more time with friends and family at Hive—or to safely and quickly complete your pickup. Scannable QR codes make for an easy, contactless experience.

As for the menu?  “We are going to do a lot of honey,” Mire says. The finishing touch for several signature pizzas will be drizzles of honey or hot honey.

Signature pizzas have playful names like the Bee-Bee-Que (barbecue sauce, cheddar, mozzarella, chicken, onions and cilantro) and Hive Five (a base of red sauce and oil topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted red pepper and hot honey drizzle). On the make-your-own pizzas, diners can choose between a traditional, gluten-free or cauliflower crust complete with their choice of more than 40 toppings. There will also be a secret menu, accessible through the app’s loyalty program, where Mire promises diners will find more “whimsical” creations by the staff.

Mire hopes Hive Pizza is a place that brings people together while enjoying a dish everyone loves: pizza. 

“Our goal is to make the space something that drives the community and that hive that we are trying to create,” Mire says. “And the pizza will just be the reason for it.”