On the walls of Steve's Pizza in downtown Austin, framed photographs of Austin High School spring activities hang on the walls.

Later this summer, Austin Youth Baseball players will grace the walls of the restaurant.

"It's fun with the little ones because they get a kick out of seeing their picture," said owner Steve Davis.

The pictures, taken each season by Mark Marreel, only show the surface of Davis' pride in his hometown. He recalls that Steve's Pizza used to be the Minnesota Cafe. He loves hearing stories from couples who said they met at his restaurant.

And in his 25 years of businesses, he's heard customers say their parents met there and once in awhile, a small child will tell him his grandparents met there.

"One of the nice things about owning your own business is a lot of your customers are your friends," Davis said.

Steve and Angela Davis opened Steve's Pizza on April 19, 1978. Steve Davis had worked in the pizza business since he was 12 years old. Even in his time home from then-Mankato State University, he worked at a local pizza place.

After college, he moved to Colorado with some friends. He returned to Austin and worked at Usem, Inc. He met Angela and they married.

Eventually he got back into the pizza business. He and his wife bought Ted's Pizza in Menomonie, Wis., and ran it for three years before moving back to Austin and buying House of Pizza, renaming it Steve's Pizza.

"I thought for sure I wouldn't go back in the food business," Steve Davis said.

For three years, he and his wife worked seven days a week at the restaurant. Their three children -- twins Alex and Mary, now 28, and Nicole, now 23, -- would help out as well.

Steve Davis said it takes a special relationship for a couple to work together. While it wasn't always easy, they learned to balance their work and family lives while at the restaurant.

"We didn't kill each other, so that's a good thing," Steve Davis said with a chuckle.

Recently, the restaurant has gone through many changes. They added on a game room last summer, which Davis said has been successful.

"We could make the pizzas fast enough," Davis said of the influx of customers, "but we couldn't bake them fast enough."

The restaurant replaced its 14-rack oven with a 40-rack oven, a product the couple saw at the annual Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

Businesses should always look for ways to improve, no matter how long they've been in the business, Steve Davis said.

His son, Alex, and manager Rod Stuckey help him implement new ideas. They decided to begin serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The have also been instrumental in getting a patio built behind the restaurant for outdoor eating. The patio, complete with tables and chairs, should be open by the end of the month.

But a few things haven't changed in 25 years. The "Mama Mia" is still the most popular pizza, a concoction of pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. The homemade spaghetti is also a hit. Their lasagna is made from scratch.

Steve Davis plans to hold a reunion this summer for former employees of the restaurant. For many of them, Steve's Pizza was their first job. Now they've gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and police officers, he said.

"And a few are in prison," Steve Davis said, smiling, "but I don't attribute that to Steve's Pizza. I don't think they can get out for the reunion."

Steve Davis still works most of the week, taking a rare week-long vacation with Angela during the year.

"We've been here 25 years," Steve Davis said. "I plan to be here 25 years more and then I'm going to retire."

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at cari.quam@austindailyherald.com