The bright blue, red and yellow lights on the neon sign outside The Original Roma Pizza in Greeley, Colorado, will soon blink off forever.
The pizza restaurant opened in 1988 and has endured economic downturns, the Great Recession and the pandemic, among other challenges. But it couldn’t overcome problems with ongoing construction and the local government, according to a December 5 post on Facebook.
The owners said The Original Roma Pizza, known for its trivia nights and specials for University of Northern Colorado students (like all-you-can-eat spaghetti for $8.50 and one-topping pizzas for $7.50) will serve up its last pies on December 30. “We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we do know how much effort has gone into trying to make things work amid the current conditions in our city and the ongoing construction,” the post states.
According to the post, The Original Roma Pizza has been “in a constant battle with the City of Greely—from liquor enforcement challenges to construction and parking issues, including both customers and staff receiving parking tickets. As lifelong Greeley residents, it’s been incredibly disheartening to feel a lack of support for small businesses and a missed opportunity for true community collaboration.”
According to the Greeley Tribune, 16th Street, where Roma is located, has been undergoing major construction as part of the 16th Street Enhancement Project, which began in November 2024. Road closures and reduced parking spaces have apparently created problems for other restaurants on the street; the Tribune noted that La Petite French Bakery closed for good last month, while Pinocchio’s Incredible Italian had to shut its doors temporarily due to “construction concerns.”
In a comment on Roma’s December 5 Facebook post, Jonathan D. Shaw, who identified himself as a former owner of The Original Roma Pizza, said he purchased the restaurant from founders Chris and Toni Allison in 2005. In 2021 he sold it to Randy and Nicole Watkins, who “stepped up and in to take it to a new level and did a great job.”
Another commenter, Brian Green, took both the city of Greeley and local customers to task for Roma’s demise. “I will agree that…certain licensing, like the liquor license, has been a very big frustrating process. I will also agree that some of the parking has been an issue. But isn’t supporting local small businesses up to us? I can tell you for myself that if I want to eat at Roma’s and have to park two blocks away, I will do so…and support this local business as well as other small businesses in Greeley. Not one post here has mentioned, ‘Wow, I eat there all the time’…We all can blame the city for some of these businesses closing, but I’m pretty sure it’s our fault for not supporting them by not eating at these restaurants.”
As often seems to happen when a restaurant announces it’s closing for good, The Original Roma has apparently been getting slammed in its final weeks in business, according to a December 6 post on Facebook. “We are very, very limited on staff and were not expecting this much love and support. Wait times vary, and the staff is doing everything they can with the amount of people we have available to work. We haven’t done this amount of business since before construction [began]. Please be patient with the staff. They are doing the best they can.”
