Pietro's Pizza facts for kids
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| Industry | Fast food restaurants |
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| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Milwaukie, Oregon |
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Number of locations
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3 restaurants |
| Products | Pizza |
Pietro's Pizza is a popular pizza chain in Oregon, USA. It started in 1957. The company grew very big, with about 80 restaurants. Over the years, it had different owners. Now, Pietro's Pizza has three restaurants. Its main office is in Milwaukie, Oregon.
Contents
The Story of Pietro's Pizza
Norm Kolln opened the first Pietro's Pizza. This was in Longview, Washington, in 1957. Norm Kolln helped the company grow.
Growing Big and Changing Hands
In the 1970s, Norm Kolln sold Pietro's Pizza to the Campbell Soup Company. Campbell Soup Company helped Pietro's grow even more. They opened about 60 restaurants in Oregon and Washington.
Later, in 1988, a group of investors bought the chain. They were led by Bob Adamowski. They kept opening new restaurants. By the early 1990s, Pietro's had almost 80 locations!
A Time of Change
After growing so much, the number of Pietro's restaurants started to shrink. In 1995, the company had 45 locations.
In 1996, another company called Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc. bought 26 of the Pietro's restaurants. They planned to change these restaurants into their own brand, which was called BJ's Pizza.
Becoming BJ's Pizza
Starting in 1997, some Pietro's restaurants became BJ's Pizza. The Pietro's in Eugene, Oregon, was one of the first to change. By 1999, most of the Pietro's locations had become BJ's.
By 2004, only three Pietro's Pizza restaurants were left.
Pietro's Today
In February 2004, two employees, Ken Bay and Ray David, bought the last three Pietro's stores. This helped keep the original Pietro's Pizza alive!
In March 2014, a new Pietro's location opened in Beaverton, Oregon.
Where to Find Pietro's Pizza Now
Today, you can find Pietro's Pizza in these cities in Oregon:
The Original Returns
In 2008, Norm Kolln's sons and grandsons did something special. They reopened the very first Pietro's location in Longview, Washington! They even used the same old recipes. They called it "The Original Pie@trio’s Pizzeria."
