Downtown Lincoln NE (SN) – Yia Yia’s Pizza and Beer is changing. The renowned craft beer and pizza-by-the-slice joint known for its eclectic selection of brews and wines will soon be a member’s-only club.
“It only makes sense at this point,” says owner Nader Sepahpur. “Our pizza, wine, and beer selection is just too much to appreciate for the average downtown crowd.”
The pizzeria which boasts more than 400 bottled beers, a rotating tap selection, and a bevy of wines will now only cater to those carrying a Cicerone certification. For pizza lovers out there, this means you’ll have to be a full-on, card-carrying beer nerd to catch a slice at Yia Yia’s as of February 1st.
“We are augmenting our restaurant at 14th and ‘O’ to become a space for those who can prove they can enjoy a breathtaking $16 beer paired with broccoli pizza and an hunk of Jimmy John’s bread,” said Sepahpur from behind the counter of his newest restaurant project Amu Manu Ramen. “We haven’t sold a bud light since we opened. We’d like to close our circle just a bit more to make Yia Yia’s a safe pizza place for the growing number of mustachioed beer dorks in Lincoln.”
When asked about the new club rules for Yia Yia’s pizza, a baker who goes by the name “Sunflower,” said she favored Sepahpur’s decision to exclude non-Cicerones from the restaurant.
“We don’t really dig squares, man,” she said. “Except for the bread. Its square. You can get good ‘za’ from Caesers for like, half the price. You can just walk in and get a pie, leave, and no one will be, you know, forced to deal with you.”
The Yia Yia’s Cicerone roll-out is expected to begin February 1st. Sepahpur has asked that those holding Yia Yia’s gift certificates to become licensed via the Cicerone website or turn over their gift certificates to someone who owns mustache wax as soon as possible.
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