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DRACUT -- Call it a seven-year itch.
Since Tony & Ann's Pizza closed in North Chelmsford in 2002, rumors swirled that the family of the pizzeria's founders, Tony and Ann Privitera, would revive the business.
Nothing materialized -- until now.
One of the Priviteras' granddaughters is leading an effort to reopen Tony and Ann's on Broadway Road.
"When people in Dracut ask us if it's true, we say definitely," said Annamaria Getman, of Methuen. "There are a lot of cravings out there, and we're hoping to make people happy."
News that the family-run business is making a comeback has cult followers of its iconic pizza licking their chops.
The sweet tomato sauce. The thin, yet chewy crust. The fragrant cheese. Many say there is no pizza in the world quite like it.
"North Koreans could brainwash me, and I would still remember the phone number -- 251-3311," said Pete Mayotte, 49, of Tewksbury. "I just hope it's as good as I remember."
Packing the family in the car and heading to Tyngsboro Road for a Tony & Ann's pizza was a ritual for many Greater Lowell families. The memories stretch back to 1958, when the Priviteras first opened the shop.
Growing up in Lowell, Maureen Zidek put her potential suitors through the "Tony & Ann's Test." If a young man liked the pizza, he was a keeper. If not, it was see-you-later.
"You either loved it or hated it because it was so different," said Zidek, now of Nashua. "If people didn't like it, it was a black mark against them."
Anthony Vitale grew up inside Tony & Ann's, learning the famous pizza recipe from his grandparents. He started making the sauce at age 10.
"The new place is going to be exactly the same as it was in Chelmsford," promises Vitale, now 36, of Methuen. "The same sauce. The same everything. The same family members working there."
Customers can expect to see Ann, now 81, behind the counter on occasion, said Getman. Tony passed away in 1999.
While their pizza recipe has been protected over the years, at least one local business claims to have come close to replicating the famous dish. Pizza Depot, which has locations in Dracut and Pepperell, recently began selling a "Lisa's Pizza" that some say is the next best thing to actual Tony & Ann's.
"The outside dough is the only issue, the rest of it is spot on," said Mike Dunning, of Chicopee, a Tony & Ann's faithful who tried the "Lisa's Pizza" last week while visiting family in Lowell.
Once Tony & Ann's reopens, Getman and Vitale say people will realize that nothing compares to the real thing.
The new restaurant will be located at 11 Broadway Road near Arlington Street, in a spot formerly occupied by the Chocolate Moose. Getman hopes to open this fall, at the earliest.
Before there was pizza, the Priviteras ran an ice cream stand on Princeton Street starting in 1953. Then Tony got a second-hand oven and moved to Tyngsboro Road. A legend was born.
The shop closed for a couple months every winter, reopening every Valentine's Day.
Ann kept the store running for three more years after Tony died with the help of family. The building was sold in December 2002.
The Privitera family scouted several spots in recent years with plans to reopen, said Getman, but nothing worked out until now.
Getman will appear before the town's Planning Board Wednesday night at Harmony Hall, seeking a special permit to open the restaurant at the Broadway Road building, which was most recently home to the All-Star Kids Learning Center.
"We think this is a winning location," said Getman. "Everything happens for a reason."