Pietro's Pizza is a small pizza chain in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. 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 Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County, Oregon, Multnomah County. The population was 21,119 at the 2020 United States Census, ...

History

Norm Kolln started the company in

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, Cowlitz County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longvie ...

, in 1957. Kolln grew the chain and in the early 1970s sold out to the

Campbell Soup Company The Campbell's Company (doing business as Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campbe ...

who grew Pietro's to about 60 locations in Oregon and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

before selling it in the late 1980s. Investors from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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. The headquarters were moved to

Bothell, Washington Bothell () is a city in King and Snohomish counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, situated near the northeast end of Lake Washington in the Eastside region. It had a population of 48,161 reside ...

, where Pietro's Corp. filed a

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

in 1995 when the number of locations had dropped to 45. 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. Conversions began on some stores in 1997, with the

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, restaurant being the first location converted to BJ's. By March 1999 BJ's had converted all but 10 Pietro's, with the chain shrinking to three locations by 2004. In February 2004, employees Ken Bay and Ray David bought the remaining three stores for $2.2 million. A Beaverton location opened in March 2014 and closed December 2023.

Current locations

The chain's remaining locations are all within Oregon: in Hood River,

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

, and Milwaukie. Norm Kolln's son Michael re-opened the original Longview location with the same recipes in late 2008 as "The Original Pie@trio’s Pizzeria". Norm Kolln's two grandsons remodeled the former Eugene/Glenwood Pietros and opened Roaring Rapids Pizza Co.,in 2000.

References

{{pizza chains Companies based in Milwaukie, Oregon Pizza chains of the United States Privately held companies based in Oregon Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1957 Restaurants in Oregon Food and drink companies based in Oregon 1957 establishments in Oregon