LELULO’S PIZZERIA OWNER PATYN MCCUNE | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

“How was your pizza?” Patyn McCune asks two customers as they exit her restaurant, Lelulo’s Pizzeria in Plum.

The women, both regulars, smile and reply in unison, “BURNT!”

It’s not a complaint, but a running joke that’s followed the business from its humble storefront in Unity Plaza to the current location at nearby 415 Unity Trestle Road.

“Looks burnt,” is a frequent comment on posts highlighting Lelulo’s deep-dish pizzas, which emerge from the brick oven with a charred, caramelized cheese crust. In my opinion, that’s the best part of a Chicago-style pie! I had one last year and I’m still full!

LELULO’S PIZZERIA | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Related: How Our Food Editor Celebrates National Pizza Day, One Slice at a Time

Internet trolls used the “Looks burnt” taunt to get a rise out of McCune, a McKeesport native who lives in Plum with her fiancé and two  young sons. Although she still gets into verbal spats online and calls out rude customers by name, she’s turning the negativity into a positive.

“Looks burnt” stickers are included with every deep-dish pizza and are available at the eatery for a donation that’s distributed to local fire departments. Lelulo’s delightfully passive-aggressive promo has already raised more than $600.

McCune, who has pizza tattoos and is perpetually coated in flour, proudly displays a sticker on the back of her truck.

The original Lelulo’s (that’s a combination of the names Lee, Luke and Logan) opened in 2010. One of the owners was Sherry McCune, Patyn’s estranged mother who goes by “Grandma Sherry.” The relationship, along with the business, suffered due to years of drug and alcohol addiction.

In 2016, at age 23, McCune purchased the 1,200-square-foot shop, which, at the time, was a pick-up-and-delivery operation with a limited menu. That same year, a former partner moved to Florida and opened a Lelulo’s in Cape Coral.

Now three years sober, Grandma Sherry is one of 17 employees working at the new spot that opened on Oct. 4, 2023 in the former Wok in Heaven space that’s triple the size. Her cheesecakes were recently added to the menu, along with an array of scratch-made specialty pizzas, starters, salads, pastas dishes, sandwiches and Sunday breakfast options.

“I believe working together has helped our relationship grow in a different direction,” Sherry says. “Patyn’s helped me become a better leader. She builds me up. I’m able to be with my grandsons. It’s the best place I’ve ever worked.”

McCune admits she wasn’t always emotionally invested in the pizzeria or life, in general. The quality of her products suffered because of it, and Lelulo’s racked up a string of bad Yelp reviews.

That all changed during the pandemic, when McCune offered free lunches to local children. Kids could opt for pizza, chicken and fries or a cold cut sandwich. After seeing Lelulo’s Covid-related posts on social media, community members began dropping off food and monetary donations. When vandals smashed the front window and burglarized the joint, McCune saw an even bigger outpouring of love and support from Plum residents and business owners.

Inspired by the goodwill, she upped the quality of her ingredients, started making more items from scratch and committed herself to doing community service. McCune and her staff organize holiday gift drives for area women’s shelters, offer kid-friendly pizza-making workshops, cater some graduation parties pro bono and host an annual charity kickball tournament (this year’s event is on Aug. 24 at 11 a.m.).

After a fatal house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood last August, Lelulo’s supplied 100 pizzas and subs to first responders. Since 2020, McCune has given away more than $70,000 in food donations. Eventually, she wants to launch a nonprofit called Slice of Hope.

Transitioning from a counter-service shop to a full-scale restaurant hasn’t been easy, but McCune and her loyal employees are rolling with the punches as they strive to become a zero-waste kitchen.

Bryn McAleavey, Melissa McCarty and Grandma Sherry were on the clock (which, of course, looks like a pizza) during my most recent visit.

FROM LEFT: BRYN MCALEAVEY, MELISSA MCCARTY, PATYN MCCUNE AND SHERRY MCCUNE | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

McAleavey, 18, started working at Lelulo’s three years ago. She started at the check-out counter and now does a little bit of everything, from cooking and serving to answering phones. Once she graduates from Plum High School – my alma mater! – she plans to study law, but isn’t ruling out a career in the food service industry.

“I like the things that Patyn does,” she says. “If I decide to go down that path, I want to follow in her footsteps.”

Although McCune hasn’t always been on the straight and narrow, she’s using her online platform and her pizza to make up for lost time.

Corey Smith, owner of FASTSIGNS in Monroeville, provides the “Looks Burnt” stickers and artist Morgan Demko painted angel wings that look like pizza on the eatery’s wall. It’s already a popular selfie-spot. You don’t, however, want to appear on “The Not Nice List,” a dry-erase board behind the counter featuring the names of patrons who were verbally abusive to the staff.

The fiery McCune has little patience for bad manners, but big love for the community that helped her grow.

“I went down a very bad path,” she says. “I didn’t think I could do anything better. But there are always opportunities to do better. I’m always looking to improve and challenge myself.”