| It
seems that Pizza has been with us forever. If you're under
60, it has. But pizza wasnt even known here until well
after WWII. And the odd thing is that it didnt REALLY catch
on until the mid to late 60s! Sure, the Italians made pizza
for their own use before that, but who made and advertised
the first pizza for sell to the public in the Kanawha Valley? The answer
might surprise you. Most people might think Joe Fazio's... |
WAS IT ?
This ad ran in 1953, and as far as I can tell, was the first for Fazio pizza.
But here's the funny thing:
The Parkette (later to become Shoneys) also ran a pizza ad in 1953!
How about....
| The
Vesuvio was a very famous Capitol Street restaurant for many years.
It operated right behind the Daniel Boone Hotel. This ad
from 1951 lists pizza among it's Italian dishes. But it's not the
first to advertise pizza.... |
Or maybe....
"First Time In Charleston"? Well... no....
| Fred's
Restaurant was also well known in it's day. It was located on the
North end of Capitol Street. Fred Pantuso would cook anything you
brought to him. (more later) This ad from 1949 wasnt the
first pizza ad in Charleston however.... |
Would you believe.....
The Lido Club??
| Yes,
the Lido Club ran this little ad in 1947! Of all the places in
town, who would have guessed? And the fact that pizza has been
around for SO long, yet failed to really catch on until the late 60s is
pretty amazing. Two things account for this: 1...Women in
the work place. 2... Pizza delivery. Domino's set the stage for
others to follow. Even Pizza Hut never took off like the quickie
home delivery shops. |
See more about the Lido Club here
It's
still not uncommon in some parts of Europe to cook what you've brought
to the restaurant. I cant help but to wonder what the "etc" might
have been however.