About the business: After 30 years of working in the family restaurant—Gino's Italian Restaurant & Pizza in Round Rock—Emanuel and Marianna Minardi struck out to open their own restaurant in Hutto in early 2025. The couple took over ownership of Anthony's Pizzeria at the start of last year, rebranding it to tell their family's story.

About the owners: The Minardis are originally from Sicily, Italy, and bring with them Sicilian style pizza and other recipes, Marianna Minardi said. Everything is produced fresh in-house, she said, with items made-to-order and no frozen ingredients.

What's on the menu: The menu includes classics such as pizza and lasagna, with a twist. The pizzeria specializes in the Sicilian style, which has a fluffier crust and is more garlic-forward. The restaurant has also adapted arancini, a fried rice ball filled with provolone or beef, into a bite-sized appetizer.

Plans for a new El Pollo Rico location in Pflugerville have been filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The details: Construction is set to begin in August and expected to wrap up in December. The 2,700-square-foot project is estimated to cost $450,000, according to the filing.

The restaurant has several locations across the Austin area and offers charcoal-grilled chicken, with customers able to order whole- and half-chicken plates, as well as carne asada, caldo de pollo, flautas and more.

• 1205 E. Wells Branch Parkway, Bldg. 1, Unit 140, Pflugerville

Officials with the city, Williamson County and state discussed current economic development trends and the shift toward advanced manufacturing at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Cornerstone Luncheon on June 25. 

The discussion: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Williamson County and the city of Georgetown have experienced a market shift from office jobs to advanced manufacturing positions amid an extended period of population growth, Williamson County Economic Development Coordinator Dave Porter said.

“There's not a market more on fire right now in terms of economic development than Georgetown and Williamson County,” he said.

This change is largely driven by corporations such as Samsung Electronics and Tesla, which have made Williamson County a home base for their manufacturing operations. Other large projects, including Pegatron and Compal, are in the works, as well.

Something to note: In addition to bringing new companies to the area, officials highlighted the career paths that already exist locally.

Porter said there are over 15,000 businesses in Williamson County, and 75%-80% of job opportunities come from existing businesses.

A Crunch Fitness, a Bootbarn and a Dick’s Sporting Goods are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. The Westlyn ($70 million): This project involves the construction of a mixed use/adaptive re-use project.

2. TxDOT Georgetown AEM Facility Renovation & Expansion ($19 million): This project includes construction of a new 11,200 square foot area engineer office building at the existing 10.2-acre Texas Department of Transportation property.

3. Boot Barn ($16.5 million): A Boot Barn is coming to Kyle.

4. Dick's Sporting Goods ($16.5 million): Dick’s Sporting Goods is bringing a new location to Kyle Park.

5. Crunch Fitness ($4.9 million): A new Crunch Fitness location is coming to Manor, with construction set to begin in the fall.