Taking Care of Business

Carrie Scozzaro

Scott and Kayli Hodgkinson of 777 Take-n-Bake.

As a youngster, Scott Hodgkinson remembers moving a lot for his family's construction business. Now he and wife Kayli are back in the Inland Northwest, serving take-and-bake pizzas, catering to other people on the move.

"We traveled around the U.S. for almost 10 years," says Hodgkinson. "At one point my wife and I were in California [for the business], my parents were in Florida, and my wife's family still lived in Spokane."

Hodgkinson and his father, Todd, dreamed about starting a family business, so when they found a pizza place for sale in Coeur d'Alene, they took it as a sign. The name of their business, 777, explains Hodgkinson, is not only eye-catching, it's a number symbolic of good luck in Christianity.

The Hodgkinsons own two take-and-bake places in Coeur d'Alene, both featuring 14 standard ($13 to $14.75) and four "stuffed" ($15.49) pizzas, and five salads ($3.29 to $6). Standard sizes are large, which is 14 inches; family size is 16 inches (add $1.50 to $2 per pie).

"I have always enjoyed cooking and Kayli has always enjoyed baking, so we used our [home] kitchen to come up with different recipes, and then recruited our friends and family to give us their honest opinions of our dough and sauces," says Hodgkinson.

Try the hefty High Roller with scratch-made red sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, salami, beef and cheese, or the Flamin' 7's with pepperoncini and jalapeño for extra kick. The Buffalo Chicken features creamy garlic sauce and spicy chicken, while the Mediterranean has chicken, garlic sauce, black olives, tomatoes, red onions and spinach.

While 777 isn't trying to be like the region's other take-and-bake place (you know, "Love at 425 degrees"), they do offer a variety of discounts. In addition to a loyalty card, Monday through Wednesday from 11 am to 4 pm, seven of their signature pizzas are only $11. And 777 can not only bake your pizza for you (call ahead to arrange that), but they also serve hot pizza by the slice ($2) from 11 am to 3 pm. ♦