By Tracy Morin
Andy’s Pizza in Peckville, Pennsylvania, refuses to play by the rules—you might even say the owners do many things “wrong.” But its spirited co-owner, Joan Mikloiche, who’s helped by her husband, Jeff, and two daughters, Samantha and Danielle, wouldn’t have it any other way. Because her way works so well.
From a cash-only policy and a divisive dough (“not everyone likes it,” Joan admits) to the original owners’ ghosts roaming the building, Andy’s is a step back in time—and an outlier in any age.
The pizzeria, celebrating 80 years this summer, began as a home-based business before founders Andy and Helen Todaro bought the 1800s-era Hotel Peckville in 1945. A few changes of ownership later, Joan’s mom and stepdad bequeathed her the business in 1993. Joan, who’d run a marketing agency in New Jersey, had no pizza experience—and, ironically, she does little traditional marketing today.
“We’re busy for a rinky-dink hole in the wall!” Joan says with a laugh. “If I get my paycheck, the product’s good and people are happy, I’m happy. I do this because I love it.”
Joan pays homage to the spirit of bygone eras with walls, both in-store and on Facebook, covered in historic photos. These tributes extend to decades-long customers, some of whom never pay for pizza; to fallen friends who have inspired annual fundraisers; and, of course, to Andy and Helen, whose faces grace the pizza boxes—a move first met with resistance.
“Everyone asked me, ‘Why would you do that?’” Joan recalls. “But the day I did, the phone went off the hook, and we’ve never been slow since. Everything that’s supposed to be, works. My philosophy is, when you don’t worry about the money and the bottom line, and you give because it’s the right thing to do, everything falls into place.”
Jim Mirabelli of NEPA Pizza Review has noted that Andy’s Pizza “is a way of life for many in [Northeastern Pennsylvania]” and “has accumulated an impressive following for their pizza featuring a thick, bread-like crust and a gooey cheese blend.” During a visit to Andy’s in 2019, Mirabelli observed, “Everyone working [for the restaurant] seemed to know every single guest that walked through the door. In fact, I audibly heard the waitress ask, ‘The usual?’ And nothing else needed to be said! The drinks were out and the pizza came shortly after. Now that’s service!”
So what is Andy’s Pizza doing “wrong,” at least according to 21st century standards of pizzeria operations? For one thing, servers still take all orders with pen and paper. The restaurant has no website (although it does have a Facebook page), just one oven and what you might call streamlined operations (it’s open just 25 hours per week).
In other words, Joan adopts an old-school approach. Yet she has embraced certain modern innovations, selling take-and-bake pizzas in nearby stores, offering nationwide shipping, and adding creative specialty pies like the Hot & Sweet.
And her intuitive, unconventional formula is clearly a success. “I don’t like recognition,” Joan says. “Eighty years is a great accomplishment, but I didn’t start it. I pay tribute to the original owners. I believe Andy and Helen are still here, watching over us.”
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor. This article originally appeared in PMQ Pizza’s May 2025 print issue and has been updated with additional information.
