Twisted Turtle Pub opens for business in Rushville

By Lauren O’Brien

The Twisted Turtle Pub at 129 N. Main St. in Rushville had a soft opening on Friday, December 30 and Saturday, December 31.

Owners Courtney and Tosha Fuller enjoyed helping their customers and making pizzas and salads after all the hard work. The Fuller’s have discussed expanding their menu as they go, but as they launch the business they will stick to the basics.

They officially owned the building a year ago in August and worked to create a welcoming environment for the public. “It was a process,” said Tosha. “It was just something we talked about when we wanted to open the bar.”

Originally, the south wall had scaffolding and seats, which they removed. They used copper counters to accent the brick oven and installed large windmills as ceiling fans. Courtney laid the brick oven over several weekends at the back of the restaurant, which gives the pizza a smoky flavor.

The Twisted Turtle has seating for about fifty people, but Fuller said they haven’t received the occupancy number yet. As the opening day approached, Fuller made a pizza for lunch. After removing it from the oven, she noticed the crust was burnt on the back. She was never taught how to make pizzas and said she has messed up a few times. Through trial and error, she figured out how to rotate multiple pizzas through the oven and getting the wood hot to make a golden crust.

Fuller made her first pizza for the Funk family. The Funk’s were there for the opening and celebrated with a large pizza.

Pizza was popular on Friday night as it left a limited stock for Saturday. Fuller made about 20 pizzas by 4:30 p.m. Friday evening. By 7 p.m. on Saturday, the Twisted Turtle Pub had used all the cheese.

The Fuller’s are currently working to get their liquor license. “Beer always goes good with pizza,” said Fuller. They reapplied for the license at the last Rushville City Council meeting since it took awhile for the restaurant to open.

The Twisted Turtle Pub’s hours are currently from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. They hope to open their doors 7-days a week by mid-January. To order a pizza and salad for dinner, call the Twisted Turtle Pub at 327-2233.