At Mars Pizza, the most popular order is still the simplest one.

Cheese pizza remains the customer favorite, followed closely by pepperoni. But Mike Porreca, who has owned the business for nearly three years, said the real key to the operation is not a trendy topping or a complicated menu item.

It is consistency — making sure the dough, sauce and finished pizza taste the same every time a customer places an order.

Consistency is also a word that could describe Mars Pizza itself.

For more than 40 years, the business has remained a hometown pizza shop — the kind of place where the food matters, but the familiarity matters too. Generations of customers have made Mars Pizza part of their routine, whether that means a quick lunch during the workday, a Friday night dinner, a takeout order or catering for a wedding, graduation or birthday. Some customers tell Porreca about events Mars Pizza catered 30 years ago.

Porreca, who lives in Wexford, was new to Mars when he bought the business on Pittsburgh Street. He had purchased La Famiglia Gourmet Pizza Company in Ross Township four years earlier. When he learned Mars Pizza was for sale, he saw the shop as both a business opportunity and a chance to create a larger role for his nephew, Paul Porreca.

Paul Porreca, 37, had been working in the concrete business by day and cooking at night. He was eager to move entirely into the food industry. Mike Porreca gave him that opportunity. Paul now manages the Mars Pizza shop. He said he loves the full-time job and the people he serves — then added, drawing laughter during the interview, “There is no fun in concrete.”

It did not take long for both men to realize they liked the close-knit Mars community and the camaraderie among local business owners.

“It’s fantastic,” Mike Porreca said. “In this little country town, there is a lot of support for local businesses. You can walk anywhere, and it’s just a nice little place.”

About a year ago, Porreca noted the business had outgrown its former Pittsburgh Street location, a 100-year-old building that needed many repairs and lacked modern features, including air conditioning. Mars Pizza moved to the former Rite Aid building on Grand Avenue, giving the business a bigger space with large front windows, perfect for diners watching the world go by as they eat.

Although the location changed, Porreca said the basic identity of Mars Pizza did not.

The menu has remained largely the same, with the familiar pizza, hoagies, calzones, salads and other items customers have come to expect. There were some changes, including better-quality ingredients and slight adjustments to the sauce and dough, but Porreca emphasized his goal has always been to keep the food high-quality, familiar and consistent.

That is not always easy in an industry where costs continue to rise. Running a pizza shop today is far more expensive than it was a decade ago.

“A case of romaine lettuce is currently costing us twice what a 40-pound case of chicken breasts costs us.” Porreca said.

Still, there is room for creativity. The business has experimented with different pizza toppings, including combinations that might surprise customers.

“One gourmet combination that surprises people is pineapple and jalapenos,” he said. “It sounds unusual, but those flavors work really well together.”

Making pizza and developing toppings were not part of Porreca’s original career plan. Before entering the food business, he worked as a systems consultant for a mortgage company, a position that took him around the world.

But he enjoys his retirement pizza “gig” much more, and said it’s more fulfilling.

“I enjoy it so much more,” Porreca said. “I spent a lot of time in hotels when I traveled. Here, there's always something happening. You get to work with customers and employees and see the results of your efforts every day.”

For Porreca, Mars Pizza is about more than just food.

Most of his 10 employees at the pizza shop are teens and young adults. Porreca said he takes pride in watching them develop a strong work ethic and learn how to deal with the public. In a business that depends on daily interaction, those lessons matter. He said many young people spend much of their day on phones and screens. He believes working in a customer-facing job helps them become more comfortable talking and working with people and preparing for their future careers.

“Many of them don’t get as much face-to-face interaction anymore, so learning how to greet people, look them in the eye, communicate and work as part of a team is valuable,” Porreca said.

About 75% of Mars Pizza’s business is takeout, which keeps the shop moving steadily throughout the day. At lunchtime, customers often fill the counter near the large front window and the small dining area, which has about six tables. Because the shop sells pizza by the slice during lunchtime, it has also become a convenient stop for nearby employees looking for a quick meal.

Growing a family member or employee into an entrepreneur was always part of Porreca’s long-term plan.

That was the idea behind Capone’s House of Pasta, a restaurant Porreca opened this spring with Tripp Acker, one of his Mars Pizza employees who has a talent for making homemade pasta and sauce.

Porreca called Acker a “creative genius” and said the new restaurant gives him a chance to help shape a different kind of dining experience. Located next to the pizza shop at 200 W. Hook St., Capone’s specializes in handcrafted Italian pasta made fresh daily and scratch-made dishes, including Cajun chicken Alfredo, fettuccine carbonara and chicken Parmesan.

The restaurant has an intimate, speakeasy-style atmosphere, giving customers a distinct option from the takeout-focused pizza shop.

For Porreca, that growth is part of what makes the business rewarding. Mars Pizza may be known for the familiar orders customers have placed for decades, but he also sees the business as a place where people can learn, work and take on new opportunities.

Now, the Mars Pizza building is different. The owners are different. Costs are higher, and the business has grown in new directions. But the heart of Mars Pizza, Porreca said, is still found in the same place it has been for more than 40 years — in a familiar order, a familiar face and a pizza that tastes the way customers expect it to.

Ray Andres, of Renfrew, who has been a customer for about 20 years, said that kind of predictability is what has kept the shop rooted in the community.

Andres said work brings him into the area, and he stops two to three times a week for the slices the shop offers during lunch hours. He loves the pizza and the staff.

“They’re nice guys,” Andres said.

Two slices with a topping and a soft drink cost less than $8, which Andres said is a reasonable price for lunch. He also appreciates the accommodating customer service.

“Paul knows I like my pizza hot, and he always throws my slices in the oven for 10 extra seconds to warm up,” Andres said, adding that he likes the pizza so much, he occasionally orders an entire pie on weekends too.

Mars Borough remains small, but the communities around it — including Adams Township and Cranberry Township — continue to expand. That leaves Mars Pizza in a familiar position: rooted in a town with a long-established identity, while also serving a changing region where housing growth is bringing more people into the area.

For Porreca, the goal is to keep Mars Pizza recognizable to longtime customers while making room for new ones. He said he is happy he chose Mars as the place to grow his pizza business and the brand-new Capone’s.

“This community has a lot of soul,” he said.