CENTRALIA, IL — Since accepting the role of general manager 33 years ago, Mark Ingram has built Monicals Pizza into a community staple that prioritizes its customers, its community and its workforce.

“Sid [Shanks] had bought the business in 1980. It was doing the very well, so he sent my brother, Randy, in to run it,” Ingram recalled. “[Randy] got it going a little bit and things started to pick up. He did it for 11 years and then decided to go to work for the post office. I had worked for Sid since I was in high school, so he gave it to me.”

Ingram said the Centralia community has remained a focal point for Monicals since it was founded under the name of Pizza Man by the late Sid Shanks and Marty Shanks.

“Centralia is a great community. The support I get here is unreal,” Ingram said. “One of the things Sid taught me was if you support your community, your community will support you. He said you never really give away a pizza. It will always come back to you.”

Speaking of his employees, which currently includes his son Stephen and daughter Holly, Ingram said Monicals has enjoyed a considerable amount of retention over the last three decades by offering generous pay and plenty of opportunity.

“You work hard when you work here. I’m pretty direct about that,” Ingram said. “It’s a busy place and you’re going to work. Because of that, I pay well. I think that does a lot to help me retain my employees. You can make some money here. It’s a good job if you want to work.”

In addition to the brand change in 2006, Ingram also oversaw the addition of a 60-seat party room that same year, as well as gradual additions to the menu.

However, Ingram insisted he had no plans of overcomplicating the restaurant’s renowned product.

“We have added more pastas, and we have nine sandwiches now. We have also added breadsticks and monkey bread over the years, but our menu is simple,” Ingram explained. “I don’t change it a lot and I don’t feel the need to bring in things like slushies or ice cream. I’m here to sell pizza.”

Making sure each pizza is as good as the last is another must for Ingram, who said there are few things more valuable than the customer’s trust.

“The thing that has really helped my business is consistency,” Ingram said. “You have to do it right, and you have to do it right every time. Eating out is expensive. No one wants to go to a restaurant that is good one day and not good the next. I think consistency has a lot to do with how we’ve been able to grow into what we are today.”

Looking to the future, Ingram said it will be business as usual for Monicals Pizza.

“We’re going to keep on doing what we’re doing,” he said. “This works, and if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. This job has been very good to me. I started when I was 27, and I just turned 61. It’s been a whirlwind. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like I’ve been here that long. This place is just a part of me now.”