Prepare For A Pizza Party

If free pizza tends to draw a crowd, well, expect a big one along The Avenue this week.

HomeMade Pizza Company, a Chicago-based chain that serves unbaked pizzas patrons take home to bake, will open its newest location at 2413 Mt. Vernon Avenue on Thursday.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the restaurant will be handing out free pizza (baked, of course) and salad from 4 to 7 p.m. in front of the store. Staff will be on hand for dough-tossing demos and to explain the unbaked phenomena. The free offerings will continue on Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m.

"Whenever we open a store, there are lines around the corner," said Molly Lynch, HomeMade Pizza Company's public relations contact. "It's very much a natural pizza, not like the frozen pizza you're used to."

Founded in 1997, HomeMade Pizza has stores in Illinois, Minnesota and now the Washington, D.C. area. The Mt. Vernon Avenue location with be the company's sixth in the region.

Patrons can order the unbaked pizzas in person, online or have them delivered. The menu offers more than a dozen pizzas as well as a make-your-own option. The pies come with cooking instructions and typically bake in 10 to 15 minutes. Not beholden to pizza alone, the menu also offers salad and desserts.

"Because we serve unbaked pizzas, that's sort of a new thing for people," said Matthew Nicholson, a district manager for the company. "We'll be out there so people can get a better understanding of the process."

With a turn-away crowd expected, pizza-seekers are urged to arrive early.