Pietro's Pizzas
IndustryFast food restaurants
Founded1957 (1957)
HeadquartersMilwaukie, Oregon
Number of locations
3 restaurants
ProductsPizza
Websitewww.pietrosrestaurants.com

Pietro's Pizza is a small pizza chain in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1957, the chain grew to about 80 restaurants and changed owners several times before shrinking to only three restaurants. The company is based in Milwaukie, Oregon.

History

Norm Kolln started the company in Longview, Washington, in 1957.[1] Kolln grew the chain and in the early 1970s sold out to the Campbell Soup Company who grew Pietro's to about 60 locations in Oregon and Washington before selling it in the late 1980s.[1] Investors from California led by Bob Adamowski bought the chain from Campbell's in 1988 and continued expansion to close to 80 outlets by the early 1990s before a steep decline.[1] The headquarters were moved to Bothell, Washington, where Pietro's Corp. filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1995 when the number of locations had dropped to 45.[2] Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc. then bought 26 of the remaining restaurants in March 1996 in a $2.8 million deal in cash and assumed debt, but then sold off seven of the locations with plans to convert the remaining Pietro's to what was then BJ's Pizza.[2]

Conversions began on some stores in 1997, with the Eugene, Oregon, restaurant being the first location converted to BJ's.[3] By March 1999 BJ's had converted all but 10 Pietro's,[4] with the chain shrinking to three locations by 2004.[1][5] In February 2004, employees Ken Bay and Ray David bought the remaining three stores for $2.2 million.[5] A Beaverton location opened in March 2014.[1]

Current locations

The remaining locations are in Hood River, Salem, and Milwaukie.[1]

Norm Kolln's three sons and grandsons re-opened the original Longview location with the same recipes in late 2008 as "The Original Pie@trio’s Pizzeria".[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mortenson, Eric (March 13, 2013). "It's a circular ride for Pietro's Pizza of Milwaukie: Mom and Pop to big chain, to local business again". The Oregonian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Rose, Michael (November 17, 1996). "BJ's Pizza to revamp Pietro's with breweries, remodeling". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "BJ's Pizza parent posts stronger first-quarter revenue". Portland Business Journal. May 16, 1997. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Pizza and beer restaurant operator reports sales growth across the board". Portland Business Journal. March 31, 1999. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Pietro's restaurants to change hands". Portland Business Journal. February 17, 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  6. ↑ "Spotlight: Pie@trios cooks up slice of history". Daily News (Longview, Wash.). 13 October 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
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