Meet and greet neighbors at pizza night at OsoSweet
Friday nights are a lot more fun in Chadds Ford with pizza, and you’re invited! 🍕
Every Friday from 5:30 to 9 PM (weather permitting), OsoSweet turns its patio into the closest thing our town has to a backyard party. Owner Tess Wofford cooks up wood-fired pizza straight out of the oven, and live music starts at 6. 🎶 She’s got a whole lineup throughout the summer to keep the music going. You never know which neighbor you might spontaneously see at the oversized checkers table or lounging in the evening sun.
Pizza night is always BYOB. There’s a $5 cover charge for the live music. And the kitchen closes at 8 or whenever the dough runs out, so don’t wait too long to show up.
P.S. Did you know that OsoSweet has fancy cakes too? Their menu continues to expand.
A family tradition that outgrew the backyard
What sparked a pizza night at a bakery and coffee shop?
“Pizza night is family tradition,” said Tess, OsoSweet’s owner. “My parents have been making pizza, or getting pizza, on Friday nights almost as long as they’ve been married.” When Tess’s dad built a pizza oven in the backyard, the tradition grew even deeper. Friday pizza nights for her and her brother’s friends became a tradition.
Now with her own space, Tess wanted to share her beloved tradition with a bigger audience. So she hosts the pizza night at OsoSweet and shares it all with anyone who wants to hang out.
Live music at pizza night followed a similarly organic path. “In the beginning, it was just friends of mine who I knew could play music, [in exchange for] the case of beer I’d promised them,” Tess said.
Eventually though, one connection led to another — leaving her card at a bar, one musician telling another musician — until people started reaching out to her directly to play. Last year, her friend Jack Taylor, a regular performer and Tess’s go-to for last-minute bookings, took over the music lineup. Jack seems to know all the musicians, and he’s turned Pizza Night’s Friday live music slate into a local series.
The highlight of pizza night at OsoSweet
I asked Tess what she loves most about the night. She has a very specific part of the evening that fills her cup. “My favorite part of pizza night is about 7:15 PM,” she said. “Most people have already gotten their food. Things are starting to settle down on my side, and I just get to take a deep breath and look around.” She walks through the crowd, catches up with regulars, meets newcomers, and listens to the band. “It’s so special to see everyone chatting, eating, and maybe tapping their feet or even dancing.”
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Music + pizza with family + friends
Crowd size shifts week to week depending on the band, the weather, and even whether Tess remembered to post about it on social media. Sometimes we just need reminders about all the cool stuff happening around town, right?
There’s often a core group of familiar faces, clusters of neighbors who arrive together, and a crop of local kids who’ve become friends purely from playing together on the patio on Fridays.
New faces show up too, including plenty from the hotel next door. Consider this article your open invitation to show up anytime!
The menu beyond pizza
Pizza anchors the Pizza Night menu. Big surprise, right? But it’s not the only option available. In addition to gluten-free pizza, OsoSweet offers mini empanadas from Buenos Aires Empanada Bar, chips and dip, and usually some kind of hearty bean salad, and of course, the familiar sweet treats always available at the counter.
About more than the sauce + crust
Tess’ love of baking hasn’t changed the core mission or menu. “We’re not a pizza shop,” she said. “We’re just people who love to create and nourish others. We’re not trying to break any records or change the pizza game. We just want you to come hang out, enjoy yourself, and listen to some great local music.”
This Friday (or whatever summer Friday needs an outdoor hang on the agenda), bring a friend, bring a neighbor, bring someone you haven’t seen in a while, or just show up solo, ready to eat and enjoy the music. We need more events like Pizza Night in the community to create space to meet up and chill with friends.
Have you been to Pizza Night at OsoSweet? Are you headed there this Friday? The weather is looking promising!
Friday Nights with Oso 1609 Baltimore Pike, Suite 500, Chadds Ford, PA 5:30–9 PM, weather permitting | $5 cover | BYOB Music starts at 6 PM | Kitchen closes at 8 PM (or sells out) Full lineup and menu: ososweet.shop/friday-nights
