After 12 years serving enthusiastic punters in Havelock North, Pipi Restaurant owners Alexandra Tylee and Chris Morris are aiming to sell up and move on.
They broke the news to their customers on their Facebook page yesterday, saying they had made some wonderful friends in Hawke's Bay but it was time for their family to take a different direction for a while.
Although a fixture on the Hawke's Bay landscape, Pipi was born in Greytown 16 years ago when Ms Tylee bought an old villa on the main street with the idea of setting up an espresso bar to pay for her son's school fees.
"I moved upstairs and it grew - I put all my furniture downstairs into the restaurant.
"There weren't any pizzas in Greytown at that time - I loved it, it was mainly pizzas and we were open day and night."
While there she met her partner Chris Morris, and with their new son Henry in tow they moved the business into the old fish and chip shop in Havelock North.
A bright pink paint job followed, which caused some bemusement in the community, she said.
"They were the brand colours and it never occurred to us that it was odd - we got a few comments when we first did it - someone thought it would be a brothel - once it opened they realised it was all above board."
During the last 12 years, the restaurant became a landmark on Hawke's Bay's culinary scene, with the pizzas gaining legendary status, as well as other items on the menu, which grew as time went on.
"Every time we put a special on it was hard to take it off the menu," Ms Tylee said.
"I have threatened to change the menu lots of times but it didn't seem the right thing to do."
Three years ago the business expanded to incorporate the Pipi Truck, which had been increasingly busy travelling to events and other parts of the region, and was an effective way to increase the brand's presence.
"It's been great - Hawke's Bay really embraced it and it's been a hard decision to sell."
As for the future, Ms Tylee said the plan was to spend time as a family, but food would continue to be a presence with plans to start a food blog in the near future.
The hospitality industry was one that had proved addictive and it was likely that it may feature in their lives again, if it fitted in with the family, she said.
The business would be on the market at the end of this week, but they would not sell until they achieved the value sought.
"We will find a way to work around it - we still love it and still believe in it."