PRINCETON: Naked Pizza offers toppings, prebiotics

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
      Naked is becoming the thing in Princeton. Naked Pizza, that is.
   The four-month old pizza shop’s saucy name is a reference to their food philosophy of naked ingredients — or ingredients without preservatives and chemicals.
   ”The idea behind Naked Pizza is one of the founder’s daughters is diabetic and his area of study is ancient diets and he became really interested in how the fast-food diet is affecting the health of not just individuals, but our society,” said franchisee and Princeton Borough resident Kathy Vik. “Recognizing we are not going to ever give it up, but how are we going to make it better? He really set out on a mission to create fast food that’s palatable that everyone loves that isn’t bad for you.”
   Ms. Vik has the development rights for all of Mercer, Middlesex, Essex, Union and Hudson counties.
   She got into the pizza business not just to be the coolest mom, but because she wanted to get into a business she believed in.
   ”My kids are starting to grow up and I was a businesswoman when I was young and I took a lot of time off when the kids were young,” she said. “I don’t like to be idle and I was looking at what the next thing I could do. I wanted to do something I thought was important and the issues with how we eat and what it’s doing to our health are important.”
   The natural pizzas begin from the crust up.
   ”Most pizzas start with a crust made out of refined white flour,” said Ms. Vik. “Our crust is made from 10 whole grains.” It is also sweetened with agave syrup, which is beneficial for its additional fiber and prebiotics.
   ”Prebiotics are the gut bugs that keep your intestines healthy,” explained Mr. Vik. “Prebiotics are the fibers your gut bugs need to be healthy.”
   There are 15 vegetable toppings offered from black beans to pineapple to spinach. Five meats and three cheeses and three sauces are available.
   ”There are no chemicals, no added colorants or stabilizers in any of our ingredients,” said Ms. Vik. “Our cheeses and meats are certified natural without hormones or antibiotics. Even our pepperoni has the USDA’s very difficult to obtain all-natural certification.”
   Calorie contents of each pizza and each ingredient is featured on the menu wall.
   The pizzas, only sold in full pies, are offered in three sizes — 10, 12, and 14 inches and begin in price at $6.99. The large is her best seller, followed by the 10-inch.
   Her main competition is Dominoes and Papa John’s. She is attempting to get a slice of the business in town where at least half a dozen other pizza places are offering their versions of the classic pie.
   She has gone with one tried and true classic pizza loyalty program: cutting the box top. She offers a stamp on the pizza boxes color coded by size and when 10 stamps are collected, they can be redeemed for a free pizza of that size.
   Naked’s most popular pizzas are the superbiotic, a combination of artichokes, mushrooms, spinach and other vegetables, and the classic pepperoni, said Ms. Vik. The younger kids really like the smokehouse, which is a mix of barbecue sauce and chicken.
   She is located on Nassau Street, across from Thomas Sweet ice cream.
   ”I wanted to be downtown, I wanted a flagship,” she said. “I wanted to be visible to test the market and give us a good start.”
   The 1,000-square foot store is mostly takeout with a few stools at a counter. The New Orleans-based company’s business model is built on take-out and delivery.
   Ms. Vik owns the only other New Jersey location of Naked Pizza in Ewing.