Longtime pizza business part of Quincy life

QUINCY — JoAnn Coen and her husband, Timothy, have two sons, but the shelves above her desk are lined with photos of youth.

The pictures are former employees of Coen's at her longtime Quincy business, Zack's Pizza, where she and Timothy have made a point of hiring Quincy High School students in the 26 years they've owned it.

"I've watched children grow up, I have children of children working here now," she said. "We've had whole families work here."

Kids need an opportunity to work, JoAnn said.

"And they're wonderful," she said. "We forget as we grow up how wonderful it is to be young. Everything is earthshaking — where we just kind of shrug it off, to them it's 'Oh my God,' life and death. They're just wonderful, they're fun to have around. They're actually a blessing. It really has been a blessing to both Tim and I to get a chance to work with these kids, to watch them grow up and bring their children back."

Many bring their families back to Zack's.

"They grew up at Zack's, and they want to show their families Zack's," Coen said. "You get to watch the whole family grow, evolve and change. It's just a wonderful gift. And that really is true, it's a gift. We get to be a part of their lives, that's pretty wonderful."

The Coens purchased the business 26 years ago, after Frank Galfont had owned it for three years. They currently employ 20 to 22 people.

Timothy had been working as a police officer in California while JoAnn was a staff accountant's assistant.

"My son, Jason, was in kindergarten and there was a bank robbery in the city," JoAnn said. "The gunman went through the school, and they had to hide under their desks. That, plus Tim saw a lot as a police officer. There were people selling LSD-laced stars to children. We didn't want that atmosphere for our children."

So when the Coens heard word the pizza establishment was up for sale from an uncle in Wenatchee, they made the move to Quincy.

"We went into business with Timothy's parents, so it seemed like that was an out for everybody," she said.

Pizza was never a big dream of JoAnn's, not that life hasn't been very good for her, she said.

"We don't understand sometimes the path we're being led to," she said.

In her years behind the counter, Coen has developed a favorite topping.

"I love pepperoni," she said with a smile. "I'm a purist."

Husband Timothy has worked to hone his recipe for the pizza bread and crusts over the years.

"I get a lot of credit for what I do, but you know, he works just as hard," she said.

Asked about memories which stand out, Coen smiled and said, "I don't know about a favorite memory, we've had some total disasters," before deciding upon catering for Habitat for Humanity banquets as a good memory.

"I fired my own child about six or seven times," she added with a grin. "Then as he was leaving, I'd tell him, 'Get your butt back here! What do you think you're doing?"

More than memories, Coen believes she has favorite people.

"People who changed my life," she said. "They give me hope, joy. The kids we work with and the customers. You get to be a part of their lives, also. They bring in grandchildren. I've gotten to meet whole families, and you become a part of them. I get to enjoy them and watch their children grow. It's awesome."

The Coens always understood it was never about the money, JoAnn said.

"Number one, you wouldn't last," she said. "But number two, it's not what matters in life. It's all about the people and making sure they understood when they came in, we were glad to see them. It was them that was important, not how much were they going to spend and all that."

Now the business is up for sale.

"It's a long time to run a restaurant," Coen said. "And it's all-consuming. You think about it all the time, and your employees, what can you do, what shouldn't you do, how to improve and how to solve problems. So it's just a constant. Plus I would just like once to get a normal job again and call in sick."

There's no timeline on the sale, Coen said.

"It's whenever, God's time, not ours, I guess," she said. "If we end up doing it for the next 10 years, well. It isn't that we hate it. We love the people, we love the kids. We've had a lot of children come through Zack's."

Coen hopes whoever purchases Zack's would continue the tradition of hiring young people and recognizing their value, but she allowed it would be their business in the end, nor does she wish to say she and Tim have had all the answers.

"In fact, I know we didn't," she said.

Even if someone else purchases the business, Coen expects she will remain in Quincy and look for new work, although the conversation about moving to be near her and Tim's mothers or near her first grandchild has come up.

"But in the end, I think we'll probably stay here," she said. "This is home. We have more than two sons, we have lots of children, and they need to know where to find me."