Handmade ingredients, locally sourced products and traditional pizza styles are some of the things that make Birdie’s Pizza stand out. 

Located in downtown Philomath, Birdie’s Pizza has been met with an unprecedented amount of orders since its opening in March, frequently selling out of pizza. 

“It’s been more than expected,” said Scott Willcockson, one of Birdie’s owners. “People’s feedback and encouragement has been really awesome.”

The owners said they have received more orders than they expected and they even sold out of food during their opening week. 

Customers are coming for their freshly made Detroit-style and New York-style pizzas, styles that aren’t made anywhere else in the area. 

But that’s not all. 

Birdie’s Pizza is managed by three owners, Jeremiah Mulder, Scott Willcockson and Jesse Durocher, who all bring their own skill sets and experiences to the partnership. 

“We all kind of have different things that we’re good at, and that creates a lot of mutual respect,” Willcockson said. 

Willcockson and his partners decided to focus solely on making pizza, hoping to focus on perfecting their pizza recipes to create a high-quality menu. 

“A lot of places, you feel this kind of pressure to have a really diversified menu, (to) offer a lot of different things. That can lead to lower quality sometimes or just mental strain,” Willcockson said. 

Willcockson said he prides himself on using mostly locally sourced, organic ingredients, and they make several of their ingredients in-house, including their sauce, ranch, dough and sausage. 

Making their dough is a multi-day process for the cooks of Birdie’s Pizza. Willcockson said their New York-style pizza goes through a 30-plus hour cold fermentation process to achieve the end product. 

“Starting from a very consistent product that we can rely on … gives us the foundation to move to the next step, which is (to) add the next toppings and make a quality product,” said Jesse Durocher, the dough expert of the trio. 

Alongside their New York-style pizza, they also sell Detroit-style. Durocher is from Detroit originally, which is what inspired them to start selling the famous Detroit-style pizza.

“I moved (to Oregon) and just saw no market for Detroit pizza — it just wasn’t a thing. I was like, I love it, it’s popular, I know it will sell well,” Durocher said.

In addition to selling whole pizzas, Birdie’s sells single slices so customers can sample different items on the menu. 

The trio all worked at Gathering Together Farm, another local restaurant that is located in Philomath, which is where their partnership formed. 

Starting a business with friends can have its downsides, but Willcockson said they are working on navigating through it by keeping personal relationships out of business. 

“It’s kind of a balance,”  Willcockson said.

One of the personal touches brought by the owners is the name itself. Birdie is actually the name of Willcockson’s newborn daughter, born around the same time as the opening of the pizzeria. 

“We had a different name, (but) that option came up. We were like, ‘It sort of makes the most sense,’” said Jeremiah Mulder, the third owner. 

Though Birdie’s Pizza is relatively new to the area, it is becoming a hotspot for locals. 

“It’s been really cool to feel like we’re a part of the community and contributing in a positive way,” Willcockson said.