When
I was in high school, and for a bit while in college, I worked
at a pizza place.
It
was called Town Pizza, and I’m going to tell you not to look for
it, because it’s no longer there. The owner sold the property
twenty-five or so years ago. For the continuing history of the
building, I know a disputed bakery moved in at one point—disputed
for several reasons worthy of another story, at another time (almost
definitely told by someone else)—but, even knowing the area very
well, I honestly couldn’t tell you who has the keys to the doors
these days. I don’t know what sign hangs outside, and changes
to traffic flow in the area mean I rarely drive by even when I’m
running around the city.
The
times I spent there are fond memories. Probably the best job I
ever had, with some funny moments and terrific people. Quite likely
similar to a job or two you’ve had along the way.
But
there is a somewhat strange twist to the Town Pizza story. It’s
found in the name. As I recall, it wasn’t the only Town Pizza
in the state of Rhode Island at the time. A quick internet search
shows that Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts all have
at least one place in operation right now called Town Pizza. There
are dozens upon dozens more, but you probably already knew that
(and we don’t need the official count to continue). Town Pizza…
Village Pizza… pretty common places to see.
I
tend to pay attention to pizza. If for no other reason than I
grew up around good pizza, which was a requirement to stay in
business if you ran a place based on that as a central part of
your menu. At one point during my youth, there was a strip of
road where, even today, I could name seven different pizzerias
that existed within a two-mile stretch. All of them had their
supporters and existed for several years. A few others appeared
and disappeared along that run of road. Most have vanished over
time.
I
get critical of places, and have been surprised during moves over
the years, by how many neighborhoods are missing out on pizza
of even passable quality. It’s kind of depressing. That said…
One
time, Terry and I lived in a town with a Johnny’s Pizza. It was
ok. Not great. Barely good. It was, however, the most convenient
source of pizza for us. We moved less than five miles away, where
we would begin ordering our pizzas from a completely different
enterprise known as Johnny’s Pizza. Having eaten pizza around
the country, I would actually guess there’s a chance that the
most frequently used name for a place focused on serving pizza
is Johnny’s Pizza. It borders right up against inescapable. I
would even extend that guess to a wager that the majority of people
in the United States live within 50 miles of a place called Johnny’s
Pizza.
Of
course, the name itself isn’t necessarily a reflection of quality.
I’ve eaten at many different Town Pizza and Village Pizza and
Johnny’s Pizza restaurants over the years. For some, I’ve returned.
For others, never again. A few, I wholeheartedly recommend to
others.
The
misty haze of all this is the stories. A Town Pizza location in
Rhode Island is almost certainly not the same as a Town Pizza
in Michigan. Same idea for any of your Village Pizza locations
or Johnny’s Pizza locations. These are not national chains. These
are family owned businesses. These are places heavily staffed
by kids working their first or second jobs, if not just sons and
daughters of ownership.
And
when the kids move on and the parents retire… the lights are turned
off, signs taken down, and another Town Pizza fades into history.
The changing landscape of local business.
We
could make jokes about the country. Base the punchlines on how
all of us know the shopping plazas anchored by the two-sided presence
of a home improvement store on one end of the parking lot and
a super-duper-all-purpose store on the other. Still, I feel comfortable
saying there are more family owned pizza places in the country
than all of the Lowe’s and Walmarts and Home Depots and Targets
combined.
Maybe
you have a Village Pizza. Or a Town or a Johnny’s. My guess is
that you do. Serves pizza. Maybe some subs on the menu (or grinders
or hoagies or heroes or whatever the name for sandwiches is in
your particular region). More importantly, some good people.
I
miss my Town Pizza. Might be several like it if we compare generalities,
but the reality is there’s nothing like it. I’d fill out an application
today if I could go back in time and work another few shifts behind
the counter. But more than anything else, I’d just like to place
an order.