Story and Photos by Loren Spangler
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Pepperz Take-Out in downtown Winter Haven offers delicious and professionally prepared take-out food. Culinary chef, Randy Collany, and his partners, Ben Brower, and Jose Rodriguez, make delicious Appetizers, Sandwiches, Salads, Pizza, Calzones, Brownies, and Soft Drinks. Pepperz also says “Gourmet Catering Is Available For All Occasions.”

Although the menu will sure to please, be sure to ask about their “daily specials” that are not included in the menu. When I visited Pepperz Take-Out, they had Corn Beef Cabbage, Chicken Dumplings, and an outstandingly delicious Chicken & Yellow Rice. They also had special items that are not offered anywhere else in town, such as Turkey Pot-Pie with a puff pastry top. “The crust is light, not too thick, and is much healthier than traditional pot-pie,” says Chef Randy. The “specials board” on display at the counter is an addition to the regular menu and changes every day.

After graduating from Stetson University, Randy visited his Winter Haven high-school friend, Ben Brower, in Panama City Beach. Ben was operating a pizza restaurant and had been there eight years. Randy told him that he was on the way to attend the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, and suggested that they go into the food business together after he finished culinary school. Ben had wanted to do something else other than pizza, and decided it was a good plan to join Randy in Winter Haven.

With a primary focus on quality cooking, Pepperz Take-Out has a full commercial kitchen for catering, and is able to offer their customers both American and International cuisine. Keep in mind that catering services are provided for both small and large events.

For Appetizers, Pepperz Take-Out offers: Soup of the Day for $4, Garlic Bread for $3 and Cheese Bread for $4. Under Salads, you can order Caesar or Spring Mix Salads for $6 each, and adding Chicken Breast is an additional $2. There is a Meatball Sandwich and Cheeseburger priced at $6 each and a Cheese Steak Sandwich for $7. Try their Burrito (ground beef, chicken) and Ground Beef or Chicken Taco (3), for $5. Rice and Beans are $2. They also offer great pizza from 10 inch to 16 inch, and the fourteen toppings are available for fifty-cents each. Be sure and ask about their special guacamole.

Customers may dine outside, or inside at one of the unique tables that were brought here from Panama Beach, FL. Worth noting is the cypress wood chairrail that highlights the friendly décor inside. There is plenty of parking, both on the street, and a separate lot across the street from the establishment.

Randy and Ben work hard and have a strong desire to give their customers quality foods and efficient service. Randy said, “I am always learning new techniques and looking for ways to make our business better. One idea I am working on is a cycle menu for next year where the same foods will be offered on each day of the week. For example, every Monday will have a selection that will always be available on that day. The rest of the days would follow through accordingly.” He added that the cycling plan would add a nice consistency to the overall operation.

Randy believes that in the restaurant business it is a good idea for owners to listen to their customers and apply what they say to make the product better, regardless of how small a suggestion. For example, he recently changed the makeup of their hamburger to be more manageable in size, and reduced the price as well.

Pepperz Take-Out is located at 304 Avenue A, Southwest, in downtown Winter Haven. Their phone number is (863)-298-8000. The hours of operation are Monday- Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Friday, from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday and Sunday they are closed.