Hot off 'pizza bracket' victory, owner of Arcata announces retirement

After decades of running Arcata Pizzeria — recently named the best pizza spot in Windsor — the owner is looking to hang up his apron.

Bob Abumeeiz said he's decided it's time to retire.

"After 25 years, it's time to stop and smell the roses," he said on CBC Radio's Windsor Morning on Tuesday.

Arcata has been a fixture on Dougall Avenue in south Windsor since 1958.

It recently won an online bracket-style tournament to determine Windsor's best pizza. The pizzeria's final competitor was Antonino's, and the margin of victory was a single percentage point.

"It was beautiful. It was great. It was a nail-biter," Abumeeiz said.

The tournament was launched on Twitter earlier this month by Bird Bouchard, a big fan of basketball and pizza, who wanted to see the city's pizza joints go head-to-head in a March Madness-style bracket.

Thirty-two pizzerias were in the bracket, and hundreds of people voted on Bouchard's Twitter posts for their favourite.

LISTEN: Bob Abumeeiz joins host Tony Doucette on Windsor Morning

So what gave Arcata the edge in the competition?

Abumeeiz said he was passionate about sports when he was young, playing soccer especially. He didn't make it as a soccer star, but channelled all that passion into his work.

"I love going to work and I'm there seven days a week," he said. "And just the small things that make the bigger picture and the staff, we have a great staff and a great product and we work really hard at what we do."

Abumeeiz said his job has been very demanding, and he works 11-hour days.

"Owning a pizzeria is like every day, you're a conductor in the biggest symphony and every day, different things, different situations," he said.

There's no prize for the just-for-fun contest — just bragging rights. Abumeeiz didn't know the vote was going on until staff let him know, but he's happy about the win.

"It feels like I won the World Cup of soccer," he said.

Abumeeiz is looking to find a buyer for the pizzeria, but it won't be easy to hand over his "baby." He said it could take a year or two to get the right people to take over.