Founded in 1957, Pietro’s Pizza Parlor ballooned to about 80 locations in the 1990s. Known for its thin-crust pizza and colorful buildouts, the pizza chain established itself as an institution in the Pacific Northwest.
As first reported by the Portland Business Journal, Pietro’s sold a property in Milwaukie, Oregon, that currently houses one of its three remaining locations. According to The Oregonian, it is unclear when the Pietro’s location will close.
There is some good news for Pietro’s fans in the Portland metro area, though: The Oregonian also reports Pietro’s is planning a new location about a mile away from the recently acquired property. Still, it’s possible that, at least for a little while, the chain will have just two locations open: in Hood River and Salem, Oregon.
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The chain was founded in Longview, Washington, in the 1950s by a plumber baned Norm Kolln. The brand was. eventually sold to Campbell’s Soup Company in the early 1970s and was scaled to about 60 locations in Oregon and Washington, according to the Oregonian. Pietro’s was then bought by a private equity firm and scaled further—to a height of 80 locations—prior to filing for bankruptcy in 1995.
The chain was eventually purchased by BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, which mostly adapted the restaurant spaces into BJ’s locations. By 2004, just the three Pietro’s locations remained, owned by longtime Pietro’s employees Ken Bay and Ray David.
As for the Milwaukie location, it was opened in 1969. The building’s distinctive red-and-white appearance made it hard to miss, and thanks to an arcade, the restaurant established itself as a go-to place for children’s birthday parties. According to the Oregonian, the Milwaukie location was located next to the Kellogg Bowl, and held a tight-knit relationship with the neighboring business. So much so that there was a special phone inside of the Kellogg Bowl from which bowlers could order a pizza, to be delivered to them at their lane.
The Kellogg Bowl suffered a pandemic death, permanently shuttering in 2020. The building was demolished and turned into an apartment complex. It’s unclear if a similar fate awaits the Pietro’s building.
