From restaurant consultant to pizza maker

When Bryan and Stacy Pritchett devised a two-year plan to move from Dallas, Texas, to South Walton, it was a given they'd run a restaurant.

Bryan was an international consultant for restaurants. Stacy handled brand marketing for a restaurant chain.

"I'm a restaurant person," Bryan said. "I thought we'd open a restaurant a lunch place. We were going to do burritos."

But the leasing manager at the WaterColor Publix shopping center encouraged them to consider opening a video store.

"Early on we went to other video stores and saw there was a need here," he said.

Following a 48-hour online search, Bryan realized it was easier to run a video store than a restaurant. He had already studied the numbers and realized a lunch-only concept required more lunch-eating clients year-round.

The couple opened Movies by the Sea in 2004, with not only a plan to offer movie rentals, but to sell toys, candy and souvenirs.

"That was Stacy's idea," he said. "Her role is marketing. She orders the toys and stays home with our 15-month-old daughter, Swaizie."

It was meant to be

The couple first visited South Walton in 1999 when they came to Seaside for a friend's wedding. They continued to come back twice a year for vacations with friends. They got engaged here, got married here and spent 10 days honeymooning in Seagrove. The couple soon devised a plan to move to the beach.

"When we put our house on the market and it sold right away. We decided it was supposed to happen. In six months, we did it,' Bryan said.

They both continued to work long-distance for their old companies in Dallas while they prepared to open the Movies by the Sea. With the video store open and ties to Dallas cut, Bryan got his real estate license.

In January with the real estate market stalled, the couple decided to open Pizza by the Sea.

Bryan realized with the changes in the economy, not every dinner out for vacationers would be at one of County Road 30A's fine dining restaurants.

He also hoped to provide a casual place for locals.

"As people change their spending habits, we wanted to have the cheapest place to eat that has good food," he said.

The restaurant has been a success, Bryan said.

"We added a lunch buffet for $6.99," he said.

There's a good mix of vacationers and locals, real estate agents and construction workers, he said.

"Everybody feels comfortable here," he said.

The pizza store has a similar family-friendly feel found at the movie store. While mom and dad relax over pizza with a glass of wine or beer, buckets of toys, conveniently sold at Movies by the Sea, entertain the kids.

Following the motto, "Go to your happy place," for the video store, customers are advised to "Feed your happy face," at Pizza by the Sea.

Can franchises be next?

A recent rave review from a customer posted to the popular SoWal.com site gave the Pritchett's hope that one day they could franchise the concept. The online reviewer lives in Tennessee and said he'd like to open a shop back home.

Bryan said he had not heard directly from the man, but he was open to the idea.

But even though the couple would like to open additional pizza shops, "We are not ready to let it out of hands," Bryan said. "There's still much to do to get the concept the way we want it. We knew the first year would be tough, especially in the off season. We'd like to take the revenue from the movie store and open a second pizza store," he said.