Marion's Piazza facts for kids
Marion's Piazza is a popular pizzeria chain. It started in Dayton, Ohio, and has been serving delicious pizza since 1965. Marion Glass founded the company. Today, there are nine Marion's Piazza restaurants in the Dayton area. Marion's son, Roger Glass, led the company after his father passed away in 2006. Roger continued to manage the business until his own passing in 2022.
Marion's Piazza is famous for its unique Dayton-style pizza. In 2017, a magazine called Pizza Today named it the top independent pizza chain based on how much pizza they sold. Roger Glass mentioned that the company had won this award four times in five years!
History of Marion's Piazza
Marion Glass started his pizza company on August 19, 1965. Before that, he owned three pizza places that were part of another chain called Cassano's Pizza King. Marion wanted to open his own restaurant because he wanted to offer a special dining-room experience. He felt that most other places focused only on delivery or carry-out.
Around the time Marion started his own place, there was a bit of a "pizza competition" in Dayton. Another person who owned a Cassano's restaurant, Ron Holp, decided to open his own pizza shop too. This led to some disagreements. Marion Glass wanted to buy pizza dough from Ron Holp for his new restaurant. While Ron didn't sell it, his wife kindly showed Marion how to make the special dough himself. This helped Marion's Piazza create its own unique taste!
By 2018, Marion's Piazza was selling about one million pizzas every year. A magazine for the pizza industry, PMQ magazine, even added them to its hall of fame.
Special 1965 Price Days
Every five years, Marion's Piazza has a very special day. For just one day, they sell their pizzas and other menu items at the same prices they had in 1965! For example, a small cheese pizza might cost only $0.80, and a large deluxe pizza could be $2.50. It's a fun way to celebrate their history and thank their customers.
Celebrity Photos at Marion's
One of the coolest things about every Marion's Piazza location is the walls covered in photos! From 1966 to 1995, a summer theater group called the Kenley Players would have their cast parties at Marion's. These parties happened after their performances.
Today, the restaurant walls are filled with black and white pictures from these parties. Many of the photos are signed by the famous people in them! You can see celebrities like Paul Lynde, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Sandy Duncan, Sally Field, McLean Stevenson, Barry Williams, Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, Robert Goulet, Mickey Rooney, William Shatner, Tim Conway, Morgan Fairchild, Dom DeLuise, Joyce DeWitt, Billy Crystal, Bill Bixby, Karla DeVito, Rip Taylor, and George Hamilton. These photos are a great reminder of Marion's long history and its special place in the Dayton area.
See also
- St. Louis-style pizza – This type of pizza is similar to Marion's because it also often has square slices.
