Henriquez Pizza opens new Denton location
Felipe Henriquez recently opened a second Henriquez Pizza in Denton. He opened his first restaurant in Thomasville in 2019, the same year he became a U.S. citizen. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Felipe Henriquez, who founded Henriquez Pizza in Thomasville in September 2019, opened a second location in Denton in June.
“It’s been really good,” Henriquez said. “The first day we opened there were people waiting in line to get in.”
Henriquez Pizza in Denton is located at 17969 N.C. Highway 109, which was the former location of Papa’s Pizza. Henriquez bought the building and spent about nine months renovating it. The restaurant has a drive-thru window and seats 60 people, which is roughly 20 more than the Thomasville location at 410 Randolph St.
Both locations share the same hours - 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday – and menu, which includes a variety of pizzas (including a gluten-free cauliflower crust), pastas, subs, calzones, strombolis, chicken wings, salads and quesadillas.
“I try to do everything fresh.” Henriquez added he makes meatballs daily for the pasta and subs as well as the sauces for the wings and the ranch dressing for hot chips, wings and salads.
Henriquez, who came to the U.S. by himself as a 14-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, said people sometimes ask why he has an Italian restaurant rather than a Spanish or Mexican eatery. He said it’s simple — he worked for nearly six years in an Italian restaurant in Thomasville, initially as a dishwasher and then as a cook. “I just learned to do this kind of food.”
Henriquez left his home country to pursue better opportunities. He dropped out of school in El Salvador to help his father build homes and other buildings but did not want to follow in the patriarch’s footsteps. With his parents’ blessing, he set off on a trek that took him through Guatemala, Mexico and on to Virginia, where he had an older brother. The brother put him in touch with a friend in Thomasville who gave Felipe his first job.
While his earliest years in the U.S. were tough and he had to learn English on his own since he was not enrolled in school, Henriquez said he was determined to gain U.S. citizenship and pursue the American dream of opening his own business. He returned to El Salvador briefly in 2015 to obtain a green card, which allowed him to legally work in the U.S. and pursue a path to citizenship. That same year, he opened his first business, N&A Hand Car Wash, at 1231 S. Main St. in Lexington.
The young entrepreneur became a U.S. citizen in 2019, the same year he opened his first restaurant. “I’m very proud of that accomplishment!”
Henriquez credits his family and friends, his employees, his faith and loyal customers for his success. His wife, Rosibel, who came to the U.S. from El Salvador as a three-year-old with her parents, has helped him grow the businesses while raising their two children, ages ten and seven. He noted his uncle, three of his four brothers and several cousins all work at the two restaurants and the car wash. Non-family employees are like his extended family. “Family and friends have been very supportive and stay with me. God has blessed me with finding good people.”
