Marion's Piazza is a
pizzeria chain based in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
. Established in 1965 by Marion Glass, the company operates nine restaurants throughout the greater Dayton area. Marion's son, Roger Glass, took over as CEO after Marion's death in 2006 and continued to manage the company until his passing in August of 2022.
The pizzeria produces
Dayton-style pizza.
In 2017, it was recognized by the trade publication Pizza Today, as the number one independent pizza chain based on sales.
Roger Glass, the CEO, noted that the company had won the award four of the previous five years.
History
The company was founded on August 19, 1965, by Marion Glass.
Glass was an owner of three franchises for the larger Dayton-area
Cassano's Pizza King chain.
Glass said he wanted his own restaurant because he wanted to offer a dining-room experience as opposed to the mostly delivery and carry-out options.
His departure from Cassano's came a year after what the ''
Dayton Daily News
The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately 55,000 employee ...
'' dubbed the "pizza wars".
A fellow Cassano's franchisee, Ron Holp, broke off and opened his own restaurant, which led to a lawsuit between Holp and Cassano's, in which Holp was accused of stealing pizza dough from the company. After Holp won the case, Glass asked if he could buy dough for Marion's. While Holp would not sell it, his wife showed Glass how to make the dough.
As of 2018 the chain was selling a million pizzas yearly. PMQ magazine, a trade journal of the pizza industry, named them to its hall of fame.
1965 price promotions
Every 5 years, for one day only, Marion's Piazza sells their traditional menu items at the original 1965 price (e.g., a small cheese pizza for $0.80 and a large deluxe pizza for $2.50).
Kenley Players cast parties
One of the distinct characteristics of every Marion's Piazza location is the photos found on the walls. From 1966 to 1995, the
Kenley Players
The Kenley Players was an Actors' Equity Association, Equity summer stock theatre company which presented hundreds of productions featuring Broadway theatre, Broadway, film, and television stars in Midwestern cities between 1940 and 1995. ''Variet ...
would hold cast parties at Marion's after their summer theatre performances.
Today, the walls are filled with black and white photographs of the parties. Many of the photos are autographed by the celebrities. The photographs include celebrities such as
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and game-show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his closeted homosexuality, Lynde was well know ...
,
Desi Arnaz, Jr.,
Sandy Duncan,
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has performed in movies, Broadway theater, television, and made records of popular music. Known for her extensive work on screen and stage, she has received many accola ...
,
McLean Stevenson
Edgar McLean Stevenson Jr. (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake in the television series '' M*A*S*H'', which earned him a Golden Globe Awa ...
,
Barry Williams,
Gary Sandy,
Loni Anderson
Loni Anderson (born August 5, 1945) is an American actress. She played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations.
Early life ...
,
Robert Goulet,
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
,
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
,
Tim Conway,
Morgan Fairchild,
Dom DeLuise,
Joyce DeWitt,
Billy Crystal,
Bill Bixby,
Karla DeVito,
Rip Taylor, and
George Hamilton among others. The photos serve as memorial of Marion's tradition in the Dayton area.
See also
*
St. Louis-style pizza – similar to Marion's square-slice pizza
References
External links
*
{{pizza chains
Companies based in Dayton, Ohio
Pizza chains of the United States
Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Restaurants in Ohio
Restaurants established in 1965
1965 establishments in Ohio