Bloomington-Based Mother Bear's Pizza Opens New Location in Columbus

COLUMBUS, IN - Mother Bear's Pizza proudly announces the public grand opening of their new Columbus location, their third property and their first in Columbus, on Thursday, September 26th. The business is the newest addition to NexusPark, an economic development partnership between the city of Columbus and Columbus Regional Health, which transformed the former FairOaks Mall into a campus that includes community spaces, restaurant and retail areas, and a sports fieldhouse.

The restaurant occupies 9,015 square feet of the campus, just West of Riviera Maya restaurant. Extensive renovations started in November 2023 to convert three former retail spaces into the large-scale restaurant. It will be the business’s largest location accommodating up to 275 guests, a seated bar top for 25 people, two rentable rooms for private events, and regular dine-in seating.

While the bar will boast an expanded 12 beers on tap and a wine menu, the other menu offerings and specials are the same as its Bloomington counterparts.

Co-owner Mark Hajduk said, “It’s been a long journey but we’re all excited to finally do what we do best: serve award-winning pizza. We’re grateful to the Columbus community for their patience as we worked to get our new space just right.” 

“We were exploring opening a location in a new market when we were approached by the NexusPark team. After seeing the campus, we knew we would be the perfect fit for the space. The fieldhouse brings in youth sports and recreational sports from all over the region and we’re proud to share our product with those new audiences,” Ray McConn, co-founder.

Though the public grand opening takes place on the 26th, the restaurant hosted three soft openings and a ribbon cutting from Monday the 23rd through Wednesday the 25th. City of Columbus Animal Care Services, Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund, and Columbus Regional Hospital Foundation each received 50% of sales the evening of their respective fundraising events. 

Hajduk added, “It was important for us to show that we’re not only dedicated to delivering a great product to a new market but we’re also dedicated to the Columbus community itself.”

About Mother Bear's Pizza

Mother Bear’s Pizza was started in March 1973 on campus at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The restaurant has since been selected as “one of America’s top pizzas” by People Magazine and has won numerous awards including Final Four status at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, and “Best Pizza in Indiana” by USA Today. 

In November 2016 Mother Bear’s fulfilled a long-term goal by opening a west-side location in Whitehall Plaza in Bloomington. In 2024, a third location was opened in a new market in the neighboring city of Columbus.

To learn more, visit motherbearspizza.com.