Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer
Southy’s pizza and ice cream restaurant in South Glens Falls is changing ownership for the first time since opening in 2012.
Mrs. Dickinson called them “the literal perfect people” to take over. “We were not going to sell to just anybody,” she said. “We wanted somebody who would continue with what we created.”
She noted, “Some things that we haven’t been able to put into fruition yet but that we had on the table they already have on their mind. So that’s how we knew that these guys were the perfect people.”
Some potential changes include a facelift to the building, possibly doing online ordering, and a more streamlined merchandise line, Mrs. Dickinson said.
Mostly the Prehodas want things to stay the same.
Mrs. Prehoda said their goal is “first and foremost to maintain what Christie and Tim built. That’s number one, to take Christie and Tim’s baby and just infuse a little of ourselves into it. There’s talk of expansion, but that’s not top priority. Really the top priority is just keeping the recipes and the love alive.
“They run this business in the most charitable way,” she added. “They raise so much money for so many true needs in the community, actual real needs of actual real people in the community. That’s one of the main things that we just couldn’t see go. So we want to maintain what they do at a minimum.”
The Prehodas own multiple Airbnbs. Mr. Prehoda said he was business manager at New Country Toyota in Saratoga Springs for 17 years. Mrs. Prehoda is a horse trainer and coaches the 14U South Glens Falls travel softball team.
That sportiness has helped give the couple a familiarity with Southy’s.
“Dave and I have both been lifetime athletes, and we’re really big into local sports,” Mrs. Prehoda said. “And this is where people go after. It’s just always where we go after the game, whether it’s Glens Falls or South Glens Falls.”
“We saw it was for sale, and our immediate reaction was, Southy’s can’t go away,” she said.
Ironically, the couple may have already been training for this role for a while. Mr. Prehoda’s first ever job was delivering pizzas for Domino’s. Mrs. Prehoda’s first gig was at Friendly’s ice cream window.
“I’ve always been good with people,” Mr. Prehoda said. “That’s the passion that I have, just bringing love into the community. And that’s what we bring to the table here. We just want to love on people.”
Mrs. Prehoda quipped, “What better way to get to people’s heart than through their stomach?”
Among Southy’s charitable endeavors have been contributing to the South High Marathon Dance, fundraising for elementary school Home and School Association committees, a food drive during COVID, and Operation Southy’s Christmas.
“It’s a rewarding experience to be able to bless your community when you’re able to,” past-owner Mrs. Dickinson said.
Before it was Southy’s, the property housed Gino’s Pizzeria South. But in 2012, Mrs. Dickinson says, “We weren’t interested in the business, we were interested in the location.”
Now, she says, “Ultimately, we’re selling because we want to. We’ve been in the industry for 20 years and just decided that it was time for us to move on. The kids are getting older so we’re just looking to kind of slow down a little bit
“We’ve had a ton of fun and have been so welcomed by the community. Part of our mission statement was to insert ourselves in the community and help however we could, and we feel that we’ve been very successful in that.”
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