Our History

The History of Jess ‘n Nic’s Pizzeria and Pub

Jess ‘n Nic’s Pizzeria & Pub was established in 1981 at 4 Portland Road, Gray, Maine, by Wayne and Gwen Pollard. The name was derived from their two daughters, Jessica and Nicole.

Originally, they started as a variety store with 5 employees, selling groceries, pizza, and sandwiches as take-out only. As the business grew in 1985 Wayne and Gwen purchased land at 13-15 Main Street. They built a larger variety store, employing 12 full/part-time people.

In 1994, they sold the business. Wayne and Gwen re-opened Jess ‘n Nic’s Pizzeria in 1997 at 81 Portland Road as a fast-casual/takeout having 16 seats with a staff of 10.

In the year 2000, they moved from 81 Portland Road, Gray to 21 Portland Road, Gray, ME Plaza for a larger space with a capacity of 68 seats. Jess ’n Nic’s continued as a fast-casual takeout in this location. In 2010 they changed from fast-casual/takeout to a full-service restaurant. With construction, a 14-seat full-service bar was added and they added wait staff. The workforce consists of 17 full/part-time employees.