STILL RAISING A
Robert Royster, standing, Ashley Royster, left, and Amy Pilz, holding a photo of the late Ryan Pilz, have grown Ruckus Pizza, Pasta & Spirits from a bar 18 years ago into a family-friendly restaurant with four locations.
RUCKUS
WRITTEN BY DAVID MCCREARY PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
WHAT BEGAN AS A LONE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL college bar churning out hot pizza and cold beer has evolved into a multi-unit, family-friendly dining destination. Ruckus Pizza, Pasta & Spirits ranks among the area’ s most well-regarded restaurants, as the readers of Cary Magazine attested in the recent Maggy Awards poll.
Ruckus scored the top honor in the Most Kid-Friendly, Best Outdoor Dining and Best Neighborhood Bar categories and tied for first place in Best Appetizers. The eatery received honorable mention for Best Cocktails and Best Pizza. Back in 2014, it nabbed the Best New Restaurant Maggy for the Morrisville location.
All these accolades didn’ t come easy. continued on page 46
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