Dylan Bear, a Wyndmoor native and Springfield Township High School graduate, has officially launched Alex’s Pizza on the Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk between 12th and 13th streets.

Bear said the shop held a weekends-only soft opening beginning in April. As of Memorial Day weekend, it’s been open for business seven days a week, and its quick road to popularity has come from its healthy ingredients, according to Bear.

“We’re a lighter pizza from what the boardwalk is used to. Our pizza uses nonbrominated and unbleached flour. It’s the product that makes you feel like you’re in a food coma after you eat it,” he said. “It’s a healthier pizza and it makes a huge difference in terms of digestion. People have noticed the difference.”

Bear told Glenside Local that the original Alex’s Pizza opened in 1961 in Roxborough. The shop changed hands a few times, and in 2023, Bear’s business partner, Rich Ennis of East Falls, took over.

“Shortly after that, I pitched him the idea to bring it to the shore as a second location. Alex’s Pizza is a family-oriented shop. The original location only does full pies, so you have to take it home and eat it with your family,” Bear said, noting that the new shop offers slices, indoor dining and smash burgers. “The Ocean City boardwalk felt like the perfect place for it. I vacationed there when I was younger, so I’m not new to the scene.”

Bear is no stranger to the food scene, either. His parents opened Wyndmoor Deli at 1000 Willow Grove Avenue in the mid-1990s.

“It’s exciting. We’re definitely hoping to have a good summer down there. We’d love to see some Glenside faces,” Bear said, noting that food critic Craig Laban of The Philadelphia Inquirer stopped by Alex’s Pizza a few weeks ago.

“We got a lot of nice publicity from his Instagram story, so that was pretty cool,” Bear said. “It’s been going great. All of our feedback has been amazing.”

For more on Alex’s Pizza, you can visit their website.

Bear is still a realtor and the president of the Bear Group, which owns and operates Bear Real Estate, Bear Landscaping, and Polar Express Cleaning. His brother, Jesse, is co-owner. You can read Glenside Local’s previous coverage of those endeavors here.

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