For around 20 years, students at the University of Maryland flocked to Route 1 in College Park after nights out for dinner plate-sized calzones from the beloved local storefront of Columbus-based franchise D.P. Dough. The restaurant’s reliable, yet creative handheld cuisine (we’re talking tater tots inside calzones, here) was a source of great comfort and pride to Terps of every age.

That is, until January 2020, when the eatery abruptly closed.

During D.P. Dough’s final nights of service, so many students lined up for one last zone the restaurant ran out of most toppings, sauce, and dough. I know because I was there. 

I learned of D.P. Dough’s impending closure a few days into my second semester at the University of Maryland, where I was a graduate student in the journalism program, and lived a few blocks away. I had never been before, but I was eager to participate in the storied tradition. By the time I got to the front of the line — about three hours — it was pretty late into the evening so I basically got the full experience. Did I mention this was two days before it closed for good?

The crowd was made up of loyal D.P. Dough fans, of which there are many. “I graduated 10 years ago, but I still order from here all the time,” one customer in line told UMD’s student paper The Diamondback. 

The huge crescent-shaped disc I received at the end of my wait was piping hot and gooey and had the perfect sauce-crust-cheese-chicken ratio. It was definitely made more delicious by the fact it was 40 degrees outside, but I saved half for breakfast then grieved its absence. I would have gladly braved the elements for one more Chicken ParmaZone, but instead, I filed the taste memory away for those times where you just can’t figure out what you want to eat.

But now I don’t have to, and neither do you.

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A modernized D.P. Dough is returning to College Park, and is getting ready to feed a whole new generation of Terps eager to partake in the College Park nightlife culture that was lost when the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes to be moved online.

Corey Polyoka, the Hampton, Md-based entrepreneur and owner/operator of the Towson D.P. Dough location, is the new owner of D.P. Dough on Terrapin Row. Polyoka said he expects the restaurant’s final permit to be issued later this week and a soft opening to be held next week.

He’ll also open two other locations — at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Salisbury University — in the future.

A veteran of the hospitality industry, Polyoka helped develop Baltimore’s Sandlot, Shoo-Fly Diner, and Bird in Hand, as well as D.C.’s now-closed A Rake’s Progress inside The Line hotel.

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But he gave up fine dining for late-night grub and isn’t looking back.

“I’ve always been attracted to working near colleges and universities,” he told DCist/WAMU.“I sit on the advisory board of the university I graduated from; I love the energy around universities.”

A longtime fan of the calzone restaurant, he said he recognizes how important it is to maintain its reliability and charm. But he also plans to make some updates to the D.P. Dough experience. 

“We’re really trying to make the store more student-facing,” he explained. “I want you in the store as much as I want you ordering delivery.” Part of the appeal of a calzone is that it’s something you can hold and eat, but Polyoka wants you to fight that urge. He wants you to take a seat while you eat your bacon, pesto, sausage, or pineapple-filled pocket at the new D.P. Dough.

Some of the new features customers can expect are an entire wall of LED lights, curated playlists, and delivery on e-bikes.

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All of the calzones patrons know and love will be available at the new location, located at 4200 Hartwick Rd but Polyoka does get some creative freedom with the menu, so new additions may also be on the horizon.

Dan Reed, a writer for Greater Greater Washington who lives in Silver Spring, graduated from UMD in 2009. “For those four years I must have gotten the Speed Zone once a week,” he told me via Twitter DM, referring to the calzone stuffed with breaded chicken, spinach, garlic, and mozzarella and ricotta cheeses.

“I don’t know if I could physically stomach one again, but upon D.P. Dough’s triumphant return to College Park, I am obligated to try,” he told DCist/WAMU.

Kevin Turner, who graduated in 2016, called the restaurant his “freshman year, late night meal of choice,” in an email. “Students should feel blessed by its return,” he added.