News of Nate's demise was greatly exaggerated

POST FALLS — Nate’s New York Pizza in Post Falls is alive and well — a brutally slow Sunday notwithstanding.

For the record, Nate’s is open Wednesdays through Sundays despite a published rumor in Sunday’s Press suggesting otherwise.

Owner Glenn Gatherer said Nate's was down $1,000 on Sunday, a day his restaurant normally brings in $1,500.

"(The column) killed us. It literally killed us yesterday," Gatherer said Monday. "I had employees standing around all day, and I'm dealing with customers calling: 'You're closed — why are you closed?'"

In the regular Business Bits column in Sunday's Business section, former North Idaho College journalism instructor and Press columnist Nils Rosdahl wrote: "Neighbors say Nate's New York Pizza in Post Falls has closed."

Well, the neighbors forgot to ask Nate — or Gatherer, who bought the restaurant from Nate Banner four-and-a-half years ago. Banner started the business eight years ago. Gatherer's family owned Davis Donuts at 2520 N. Fourth St. from 1988 to 2000.

Gatherer said Nate's, located at 920 N. Highway 41, missed a couple days following the November windstorm because it had no power. Nate's missed another day of normal business on Sunday, Dec. 6, because he and his crew made pizzas to donate to the Holidays and Heroes program. They donated $1,000 worth of pizza to the program. A sign was posted on the front door at Nate's that Sunday, saying they were closed for the fundraiser.

Being closed both Mondays and Tuesdays might have thrown off a few neighbors, too. He said he can't find workers to operate on Tuesdays.

"I can't get staff to come in and work," Gatherer said. "The younger generation today, they think they're entitled to everything and they don't want to work."

Gatherer and five others make up the staff at Nate's. He has two pizza makers, two front-counter workers, and another who operates the 650-degree brick oven. They all work five days per week.

Gatherer said business is tough enough with high cheese and meat prices.

"When product is going up every delivery, it's terrible," he said.

When he bought Nate's he was paying $1.49 per pound of cheese. Today it's $2.29 per pound, and Nate's goes through approximately 600 pounds of cheese per week. The restaurant's Avista Utilities bill is $1,000 per month, he said.

The Press error compounded the struggle, he said.

With the neighbors now under the bus and the Press owning up to its mistake, the newspaper offered to let readers know what's going on at Nate's these days. Highlights:

Thirty-six-inch pizzas are available.

"It takes a 48-hour notice because it takes a six-pound dough ball that we have to make special," Gatherer said. "Our small is most people's larges."

The 36-inch New York Challenge still gives a team of four people a half-hour to eat the monster pizza. It's topped with bacon, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and salami. Each person has to eat two giant slices.

"Thirteen teams have tried and 13 teams have failed," he said. Any winning team gets its $120 back. Nate's tosses $25 into a pot every time a team tries and fails. A winning team gets the pot's cash.

Nate's T-shirts are available for sale, and include a picture of an Army sniper rifle on the back.

"We have gun-owners-unite nights," Gatherer said.

The menu offers "build-your-own" pizzas and house specialty pizzas with New York themes. It also offers The Idaho Spud pizza, which includes cheese, bacon and sliced potatoes.

Nate's is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

Really.