It all started in 1982, when Jeff Mease was an IU undergrad working for Domino's Pizza. As he rolled corporate dough and spread store-bought sauce, he realized he could make a better product and break the monopoly Big Pizza held on the campus market.
Thus was born, with the help of Jeff's partner Lennie Busch, the first Pizza Express. Its from-scratch, by-hand pizza won an instant following, a rare feat for a small business in the quick-serve dining world. Now with five locations (under the new, trademarkable name Pizza X), it remains Bloomington's favorite pizza delivery service nearly 30 years later.
Since the opening of Pizza X (formerly known as Pizza Express), OWE has opened a different restaurant called "Lennie's", as well as OWE KitchenShare and OWE Catering and Events.
The future of OWE will include continued movement toward greater sustainability and community-sourced ingredients. What it won't hold is any sort of expansion that looks beyond the Bloomington area. We have no desire to get bigger, only to become a more integral, responsible, and valued part of the Bloomington community.