The OTTO Thirsty Camper Tour is headed your way with delicious Maine beer, pizza, bluegrass, and more!

We’re loading up a little bit of what makes Portland special and setting up camp at a location near you. It’s a traveling pizza and beer garden on wheels — the OTTO Airstream, courtesy of Rustic Taps.  Come down and enjoy beer from our friends at Maine Beer, Lone Pine, Allagash, and Orono, hear some live bluegrass, play some games, win some prizes — and of course we’ll be supplying the pizza.  

Every Thursday in August, we’ll be pulling up to a different OTTO location to celebrate summer in Vacationland. (With pizza, beer, and bluegrass this good, why would you leave??)

We’ll be serving cold, delicious Maine beer from the Airstream bar, and each evening will feature the best in Maine bluegrass, including renowned mandolinist Joe Walsh, who headed up OTTO Bluegrass Nights back in the day.

Our lovely beer partners have provided us with loads of great brewery swag, and OTTO will have plenty on hand as well, so you’re likely to go home with more than a smile.

And if that wasn’t enough, there’ll be cornhole, giant Jenga, and did we say PIZZA??

Come join us at one of our stops below.  This is a magical, silvery beer and pizza garden on wheels – and we can’t wait to see all of you.

The OTTO Thirsty Camper Tour:

* 5PM-close each night * Free Entry! *

Thu Aug 4 RSVPOTTO 159 Cottage Rd, South Portlandfeat. Joe Walsh & Friends

Thu Aug 11RSVPOTTO 305 US-1, Yarmouthfeat. Taylor Smith & Friends

Thu Aug 18RSVPOTTO 779 Portland Rd, Sacofeat. The Snowglobe String Band

Thu Aug 25 RSVPCongress Square Park, Portland – feat. Joe Walsh & Friends

Kick off Pride Month with OTTO’s 6-location fundraiser night for Pride Portland on June 4

Join us in celebrating the extraordinary contributions of our LGBTQ community, and in supporting Pride Portland, the wonderful volunteer-run organization that does so much to bring Greater Portland together.

On Tuesday, June 4, between 5-9pm, a portion of every sale at all seven Maine OTTO locations will be donated to Pride Portland.

Whether you live in Portland, South Portland, Yarmouth, or Saco, you can chip in by simply purchasing a slice, a pie, a gift card, a craft beer or glass of wine — anything! Every single purchase made at any location counts — whether dine-in, takeout, or delivery!

And stay tuned for some additional Pride celebrations at OTTO, including parade-day happenings at our original 576 Congress location along the parade route.

We look forward to seeing you and celebrating with you.

2015: A Year In Giving Back

Since we opened our first little slice shop on Congress Street in Portland back in 2009, giving back has been integral to what OTTO does. From day one, we have committed ourselves to bettering the communities in which we do business. We have been fortunate enough to continue this tradition into 2016 and beyond.

10414491_806020339409898_4134071848483003687_nIt is not lost on us that without having been embraced and supported by our communities over the past several years, we would not have been able to make community outreach an integral part of our company culture.

Our weekly fundraiser series now runs in 8 locations in two states. In addition to these events, we provide many in-kind donations to many deserving charities and community organizations throughout the year.

OTTO has been fortunate enough to have donated to over 250 organizations in Maine, Massachusetts and beyond in 2015. We are extremely grateful to be in a position to do so. As we close the year, we are thankful for the many wonderful organizations (and those who keep them operating) who tirelessly worked to better our communities in so many ways.

As we look back on the past year, we want to acknowledge some of the great organizations that we have had the pleasure of working with in some capacity. The following is a partial list of these organizations.

Thank you for all you do!

317 Main
American Cancer SocietyCGsEWPrVIAAaS8I
American Liver Foundation
Amirah Boston
Animal Refuge League
Anna Jacques Community Health Foundation
Art Play Nursery School
Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital
Bicycle Coalition of Maine
Bikers Against Child Abuse
Birth Roots
Boston Cares
Boys to Men
BreastFest Concert 4 a Cure
Brendan Conway Memorial Scholarship Fund
Brookline Arts Center
Brookline Community Mental Health Center
Brookline High School Model UN
BU Alternative Spring Breaks
BU Black Business Association
BU China Care Fund
BU Ellevate
BU Global Business Brigades11225257_1005999809411949_3853456183222734451_n
BU Global Water Brigades
BU Partners in Health
BU Relay For Life
BU Special Olympics Club
BU Student Volunteers for Special Needs
BU Unite For Sight
Buddy Up Animal Society
Cancer Community Center
Cape Celebrates Literacy and Authorfest
Cape Challenge 5k
Cape Elizabeth Jazz Cabaret
Cape Elizabeth Speech and Debate
Casco Bay Nursing Partnership
CBS 13’s Tri for a Cure
Center for Grieving Children
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
Christmas Tree Santas
Coastal Womens Healthcare 2nd Annual 5k for Postpartum Depression
Community Health Council
Connect the Tots
Coolidge Corner Community Chorus
Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation
Creative Portland
DayOne
Deering High School Chinese Club
East End Community School
East End Holiday Stroll
Easter Seals
Edward Devotion School12072666_1087917931220136_3592187942805901356_n
El Amor de Patricia
Engineers Without Borders
EqualityMaine
Falmouth Corner Preschool
Feed the DOG, Inc.
Figures of Speech Theater
FPD Education Foundation
Freeport Community Services
Friends of Casco Bay
Friends of Feral Felines
Friends of Newburyport Track
Friends of Willow
Front St. Study Center
Georgetown PTA
GHS Key Club
GHS Project Graduation
Girls On The Run
Good Shepherd Food Bank11406320_10152770783527820_6834360431906910084_o
Harvard Center For Ethics
HEAD Over Roof, Inc.
Helping Paws
Hour Exchange Portland
Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center
LearningWorks
Levey Day School
Longfellow Elementary School
Lucky Pup Rescue
Lynnfield Art Guild
Mad Horse Theatre
Maine Adaptive Sports
Maine Catholic Charitites Barrels & Brews
Maine Center for Creativity
Maine Chapter of Muscular Dystrophy Association
Maine Charitable Mechanic Association
Maine Friends of Animals
Maine Historical Society
Maine Inside Out
Maine Irish Heritage Center12248133_10153249482658733_242042729514050777_o
Maine Youth Rock Orchestra
Mama Hope
Mayo St. Arts
Merrohawke Nature School
Missions to Zanzibar
Multiracial Adoptive Family Collaborative
Multilingual & Multicultural Center
Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization
My Place Teen Center
Newburyport Education Foundation
Partners for World Health
Pennies for Poverty
Pie Man Theatre Company
Portland Buy Local
Portland Chamber Music Festival
Portland Nursery School
Portland Stage11698946_1030049273673669_6715835807551496429_o
Portland Sunrise Rotary Club
Portland Symphony Orchestra
Preble Street Resource Center
Primitive Condition
Project Nicaragua
Rainbow Tribe
REAL School
Resilience Hub
Ronald McDonald House
RunTriRide
Sable Oaks Golf Tournament for Camp Kieve
Safe Passage
Scarborough Education Foundation
Scarborough Land Trust
SealsFit
Sexual Assault Response Services
Silent Sidekicks10646796_985574444787819_8653778671969702376_n
Skyline Farm 5K Trail Run/Walk
South Portland Historical Society
South Portland Jazz Festival
South Portland Nursing Home
South Portland Public Library
Southern Maine Community Organizations Active in Disaster
Southern Maine Conservative Collaborative
SPHS Dollars for Scholars
SPHS Project Graduation
Spirits Alive 2015 Walk Among the Shadows
Starry Night 8.5k
Steps to Success
STRIVE
Student Veterans of America
Take Action Portland
Team On Belay
The Fresh Air Fund11112974_1006021342743129_2477605537619062446_n
The Locker Project
The Pixel Fund
The Riders Club
The Root Cellar
The Telling Room
Townscape
Trek Across Maine
Tri for a Cure
UNE Miles for Smiles
United Way of Greater Portland
University of Maine School of Law Women’s Law Association
USM Community Garden
USM Vets Holiday Party
USM Leadership Gala
Valpo Surf Project
Vet to Vet
Village Nursery School
Vivid MotionCKecefMWsAArOad
Wayfinder Schools
Wescustago Youth Choir
Westbrook Little League
Westbrook Seals Swim Team
WMPG
Women Around The World
Yarmouth Cares About Neighbors
Yarmouth Community Garden
Yarmouth Education Foundation
Yarmouth Historical Society
Yarmouth Lions Club
Yelp Helps
Young Non-Profit Professionals Netowrk
Youth & Family Outreach

AUTOHELM: OTTO/Rising Tide Collab Brew Is Back!

We are pleased to announce the return of Autohelm, a deliciously hoppy amber ale brewed by Rising Tide Brewing Company in collaboration with OTTO.

Autohelm_Poster_2

Diners at OTTO restaurants in Maine and Massachusetts will be able to pair their pie with this delightful winter brew, which made its debut last year.

This limited special collaboration will be available exclusively at OTTO.

If you didn’t have an opportunity to try Autohelm last year, you should get a piece of the action before it’s all gone.

Last year, the brew racked up a 3.73 rating on social beer discovery service Untappd, eliciting some of the following responses:

“Delicious!”
“Super solid!”
“Very solid hoppy amber. Piney hops with a strong malt backbone!”
“A sweet, hoppy Amber.”
“Very smooth. Almost creamy. Nice rich malts with hop balance.”
“Oh so good.”
“Great hoppy awesome. Full body with a little sweet.”
“Fan-freakin-tastic! Well done. Hoppy , refreshing, in a season of big heavy beers this was a refreshing change.”
“Wow that is delicious!”

Thirsty yet?

Come on down, grab a few pies, and a few glasses of Autohelm — and be sure to let us know what you think.

rt2

OTTO’s Lindsey Gordon pours on the hops

 

 

2014: A Year of Giving Back

Since opening its first little slice shop on Congress Street in Portland in 2009, giving back has been an big part of what OTTO does. From day one, co-owners Anthony Allen and Mike Keon believed that it was important to better the communities in which OTTO does business, and this sentiment reverberates through the growing independent chain today.

10414491_806020339409898_4134071848483003687_nIt is not lost on us that without having been embraced and supported over the past 5+ years by our communities, we would not be able to grow this sentiment into an integral part of the chain’s culture.

We are now running weekly fundraiser series in four locations in two states. In addition to these, we provide many in-kind donations to many deserving charities and community organizations throughout the year.

OTTO has been fortunate enough to have donated to over 250 organizations in Maine, Massachusetts and beyond in 2014. We are extremely grateful to be in a position to do so. Perhaps more so, we are thankful for the many wonderful organizations (and those who keep them operating) who tirelessly work to better our communities in so many ways.

As we look back on 2014, we want to acknowledge some of the great organizations that we have had the pleasure of working with in some capacity.

Thank you for all you do.

MAINE:
48hour Film Festival10491185_10154228467515464_5172975192474676961_n
American Diabetes Association
American Red Cross
An Evening of Promise
Animal Refuge League
Art Play Nursery School
Barbara Bush Cures for Kids
Bayside Community Health Fair
Borgen Project
Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine
Camp Twitch & Shout
Cape Elizabeth Girl’s Volleyball
Cape Elizabeth High School Baseball
Cape Elizabeth High School’s Mock Trial Team
Cape Elizabeth Project Graduation
Children’s Association for Maximum Potential
Children’s Museum of Maine
Co-op Nursery School1979493_879431622068769_3191938351394253805_n
Coastal Studies for Girls
Cultivating Community
Deering High School
Easter Seals ME
Empowering Young Women
Environmental Health Strategy Center
Family Crisis Services
Florence House
Free The Children
Freeze out Hunger
Friends of Feral Felines
Gorham High School Girl Up
GLSEN
Hall School
Hardy Girls Healthy Women
Holy Cross School10174868_10152261591462839_5044234833510577421_n
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership
Husky Harvest
Junior League of Portland
King Middle School
Knights of Columbus Cheverus Council
Learning Works
Levy Day School
Longfellow Elementary School
Love, People
Lucy K Fund
Lucky Pup Rescue
Lyric Music Theater
Magic Matinee
Mahoney Middle School
Maine Books for Maine Kids
Maine Cancer Foundation10155329_770606132951319_527890677_n
Maine Children’s Cancer Fund
Maine Freedom Project
Maine Island Trail Association
Maine Military Museum
Maine Narrow Gauge
Make A Wish Maine
March of Dimes
Maine Children’s Cancer Program
Mechanics Hall
Michael Pecha Cancer Fund
Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Musica De Filia
National Tourette Syndrome Association
Parkside Neighborhood Association
Pets for Vets10310591_793342390677693_2702114172873646891_n
Planned Parenthood
Port Resources
Portland Buy Local
Portland Education Foundation
Portland High School
Portland Public Library
Portland Stage Company
Portland Sunshine Rotary
Portland Trails
Portland Veterans Acupuncture Clinic
Portland Youth Dance
Preble Street Teen Center
SailMaine
SealsFit
Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine
Silent Sidekicks
South Portland Food Cupboard1545826_738917119453554_1571773475_n
South Portland High School
South Portland High School Robotics
South Portland High School Soccer
South Portland Swim Boosters
South Portland High School Project Graduation
SPACE Gallery
Spindleworks
The Children’s Trust
The South Portland Historical Society
The Telling Room
UNE Medication Collection
Voter Education Brigade
Winship Memorial Fund
WMPG
Women in Harmony
YMCA for Adaptive Services

MASSACHUSETTS:
Alzheimer Association’s RunTriRide
American Red Cross10276025_437417973060256_6145661167063435402_n
Amphibious Achievements
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston College Relay for Life
Boston Collegiate Charter School
Boston Minstrels
Boston University China Care Fund
Boston University Occupational Therapy
Boston Workman’s Circle
Brian D. Silver Memorial Fun
Brookline Boys Basketball
Brookline Early Education Project
Brookline Food Coop
Brookline High School
Brookline Teen Center
BU 85 Broads
BU Center for Gender Sexuality
BU China Care Fund10367818_794314320580500_6700202918988191713_n
BU College of Fine Arts
BU Ellevate
BU Global Water Brigades
BU Law Public Interest Project
BU Marketing Club
BU Outing Club
BU Pre-Law Review
BU Relay for Life
BU Sargent College- Ghana Volunteer Trip
BU Senior Theatre Arts Majors Productions
BU Sigma Beta Rho
BU Unite for Sight10168161_788494334495832_2633235171370483254_n
BU Water Polo
Cambridge Community Chorus
Children’s Center for Communication
Congregation Kehillath Israel
Coolidge Corner Community Chorus
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Cross Keys Retreat
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Destination ImagiNation- Lynnfield HS
Edward Devotion School
EMARC
Engineers Without Borders
Evening with Champions
FairTrade (Harvard U.)
Family Equality Council
Fenway Health
Friends of Buker
Friends of Lynnfield Library
Gathering Change
Global Water Brigades
Greenwood Elementary
Harvard China Care
Helping Hands for Homeless
Huckleberry Hill Elementary School
Humanist Community at Harvard
Lawrence School PTO10267777_784309914914274_5710944405256697106_n
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Lynnfield High School
Lynnfield Pioneer Football Club
Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress
Massmouth
Melrose Humane Sociaty
Morse Elementary School
Nashoba Learning Group
NEADS (Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans)
Newbury College Alumni Committee
Newburyport River Run
North Shore Scleroderma
Northeast Parent Advisory Council
Omega Phi Alpha
Pan-Mass Challenge Team Paul & Eve
Partners in Health10525905_761604797231921_5668220597958144632_n
River Relay for Real Lives
Rodman Ride for Kids
Safe Passage
Science Club for Girls
Sinclair Firefighters Benefit
Smart Woman Securities
St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital
Stock Our Shelves
Summer St. Elementary PTO
Temple Ohabei Shalom
Unite for Sight
WGBH
With Certainty Project
Wounded Warrior Project

28 Pizza-Themed Gifs That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

1. Put a ring on it
beyonce

2. Chicken riding a pizza-eating kitten rug. Duh.
cat

3. Laser-eyed space kitten is adorbs
catlazers

4. Liz Lemon, seductress
30rock

5. Walter, that’s a perfectly good pizza.
breakingbad

6. Tobias Funke, space cowboy
cowboy

7. Zac hearts pizza
highschool

8. Homer hearts pizza
homer

9. Even monsters heart pizza
iheartpizza

10. The Blueprint is pizza
jayz

11. J-Law hearts pizza
jlaw

12. JT *really* hearts pizza
justin

13. Bobby can’t wait for pizza
koth

14. Smells like pizza
kurt

15. Nine lives
mario

16. Mary Kate (or is it Ashley?) hearts pizza
marykate

17. When is it *not* pizza time?
pizzatime

18. Cinder(mozza)rella
princess

19. The Ramones heart pizza
ramones

20. Rigby scores pizza
reg

21. So hot. (And Ryan Gosling’s not bad either)ryan

22. One thing Congress can agree on
schoolhouse

23. Zoinks!
scoob

24. Jerry hearts pizza
seinfeld

25. Sims pizza dance
sims

26. Stanley wins
stanley

27. Tim and Eric heart pizza
timeric

28. Liz Lemon gets it done
tina

OTTO’s New South Portland Location Is OPEN!

IMG_0250We are pleased to announce that our second South Portland location, at 125 John Roberts Road, is now (finally) officially open!

The John Roberts Road location is OTTO’s 9th location overall (10, if you count our Portland delivery facility), and is one of our roomiest, with 5 picnic tables, and an indoor bocce court. Diners can enjoy pizza by the slice or whole pie, along with a full array of beverages, including beer and wine. (Yes, we’re serving Autohelm, our brand new collaboration with Rising Tide Brewing Company!)

Tucked away in the office park just a stone’s throw from The Maine Mall, Home Depot, and Clark’s Pond Cinemagic, we believe shoppers, moviegoers, and office employees in the area will find OTTO to be a welcome addition to their dining options.
125_map
Whether dine-in, takeout, delivery, or catering your office party, we’ve got you covered at 125 John Roberts Road.

Call in your order by dialing 207-772-0900, or by using our online ordering service (you can even order in advance).

125Hours:

Sunday–Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm

We look forward to serving you!

Two Ways to Give the Gift of OTTO (and One Way to Receive $500 in Pizza!)

The bad news is that holiday shopping is stressful for millions of Americans. The good news is, um, who doesn’t love pizza?

In an effort to make it easy to give the gift of OTTO this holiday season, we have implemented a brand new super-easy gift card system that is fully integrated with each and every OTTO location, including delivery and online ordering!card_side-photo

Send an OTTO Gift Card via Email
If you’re like some of us, you may prefer to do your holiday shopping in your pajamas from the comfort of your home. Totally not a problem. Just go to ottoportland.com, click on the Gift Card banner, and order a gift card in any denomination to be delivered via email.

Gift Cards via email work pretty much like an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. The gift-receiver will get a stylish, personalized email with all the details, and only needs to print out the email and show it when it’s time to pay. The 12-digit code in the email can also be used for phone orders or online orders. Recipients can go online to check their balances or to reload.

Did we mention that by simply purchasing a gift card online, you (yes, you, the gift-buyer) are automatically entered to win a $500 gift card of your very own? That’s, like, a large pizza every month for two whole years just for giving someone a really cool gift.

Or, Give the Gift of Plastic
If you’re like some of us who aren’t into computers and whatnot, you can give an old-fashioned gift card that can be kept in a wallet or purse (or in a sock, really — who are we to judge?).

Traditional gift cards can be purchased at any of our locations in Maine and Massachusetts. Simply ask your server, bartender, or cashier, and they’ll be happy to assist. Just like our E-Gift Cards, these can be purchased in any denomination, and can be redeemed (or reloaded) at any location — including online orders and phone orders.

See how easy that was? You’re all set! Enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

webfile (1)

What’s That Weird Mesh Thing In The Pizza Delivery Boxes?

Every once in a while, we are asked about the weird mesh thing that we put under the pizzas in our delivery boxes.

Photo by ‏@Great_Local

Photo by ‏@Great_Local

As strange as they may seem, a lot of science went into the mesh liners, and ultimately they help ensure that our delivery pizzas arrive tasting as delicious as possible.

Many pizzerias just place the pizza directly onto the corrugated cardboard. The reality is that the average pizza sits for 15-30 minutes in a cardboard box (which sits inside a thermal delivery bag). You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that a hot pizza in this environment will produce a significant amount of steam and condensation, resulting in a pizza that has lost much of the crispness that OTTO fans enjoy.

The mesh liner raises the pizza off of the cardboard, which allows air to circulate freely around (and under) the pizza. Pizza sitting directly on cardboard tends to allow grease to seep into the crust, and the crust will often absorb some of that cardboard taste. Ew, right?

This modern scientific wonder also happens to be heat resistant and cut resistant, and made from an FDA-approved material.

While food quality is most important to OTTO, we also care about the environment and sustainability. OTTO’s mesh liner is not just re-usable — it’s also recyclable.

At OTTO, we’re always looking into new ways to approach age-old challenges. We welcome suggestions and feedback from our guests on ways we might improve their experience.