They make it; you take it and bake it: A fresh idea on the pizza pie (PHOTOS)

For Jeff and Patty Dora, simple and fun is the name of the game at Panhandle Pizza Take & Bake.

“This is very easy and it’s fun,” said an apron wearing Patty from behind the counter.

A visit to their daughter in Coldwater, Mich., is where the concept for a take and bake pizza shop first entered their minds. They saw such an establishment and thought “what a great idea.”

Tucked behind the Texaco on Gulf Shore Drive, Panhandle Pizza sends pizzas out the door that were made in the store, yet they are wrapped up and ready to go directly into the customer’s oven. The new pizzeria has no baking equipment.

The Miramar Beach couple said they operate by the K.I.S.S. principle ... Keep It Simple Stupid. The slower work pace is a welcome change for the Doras, who also manage a housekeeping company responsible for 50 units in the Holiday Isle area.

“In the housekeeping business, we have a slogan, “It’s not a workout, it’s a wearout,’ ” Patty said.

By cleaning up after Destin tourists, the market research for a pizza place has been easy.

“We see pizza boxes and pizza cutters lying around,” she said of the clean-up after check out.

Knowing that pizza is such a vacation necessity, Jeff and Patty make it easy for jet-lagged tourists to pop in and grab an easy dinner to have in their units.

The pizzas come on a bakable tray in three different sizes. Customers can hang out in the shop’s waiting area, entertaining themselves or Jeff and Patty with a guitar.

The pizza assembly line is much like a Subway, in which patrons chooses the size of their pie and exactly what goes on it: sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, spicy Italian sausage, peppers, black olives, onions, jalapeños and even pineapple. Specialty pizzas are also available.

Jeff said their biggest hit has been the breakfast pizza, a masterpiece that can be loaded up with scrambled eggs, sausage, gravy, cheese and bacon. He said it has saved breakfast for many Destinites who have weekend company to feed.

Jeff said the introductory prices are highly competitive since a large pizza will never go over $12.99 no matter what’s on it. Since opening their doors on June 1, Jeff and Patty have enjoyed helping patrons get it together just in time to set the table.

“It’s ready when you are,” Patty said.