The Old-School Pizza Joint That Only Washingtonians Will Remember

Hot and fresh or old and cold, pizza never really disappoints. Some would argue that it has never been as good as it is today, with various pizza chains prioritizing high-quality ingredients. Yet, those folks may have forgotten, or are too young to remember, how humble, old-school pizza haunts like Washington State's Pizza Haven used to be the bar by which a pizza parlor was judged.

Every state in the U.S. has a quality hole-in-the-wall pizza joint hiding somewhere within its borders. For years, Pizza Haven was one of those establishments gracing Seattle's neighborhoods. It opened its doors in the city's University District in 1958, the same year Pizza Hut was founded. The pizza itself wasn't anything special — just a modest, cheesy, greasy pie with dependable favorites for toppings. But get a group of people together to enjoy a few slices washed down with some cheap lagers, and you had a recipe for treasured memories in the making. 

Pizza Haven initially separated itself from its competitors by offering delivery service, much to the delight of local college students. "It was the goto pizza place for students when I was at university in the mid '90s," one Redditor recalled. "The cleaners in halls of residence asked us not to shove the empty boxes in our bins because they were hard to get out, and to stack them at the end of the hall instead." It was successful enough to expand into a 42-location empire across other regions of the country and even overseas in the Middle East and Russia. But sadly, Pizza Haven couldn't stand the test of time. Various factors likely played into the company's demise that left a pizza-sized hole in the hearts of Seattleites.

Seattle's Pizza Haven serves as an example of how smaller fish in the pond can be consumed by a bigger fish hungry for market share. As pizza joints became increasingly popular, major chains like Domino's and Pizza Hut were expanding into territories like Seattle. They were able to advertise deals and provide coupons for cheaper food that led many folks through their doors. Like many local pizza shops in the 1960s and '70s, the Seattle staple suddenly found itself competing with those discounts.

A rise in the popularity of artisanal pies likely didn't help Pizza Haven either. Businesses selling pies with previously unutilized combinations of ingredients, like arugula, figs, or Gordon Ramsay's favorite, clams (sir, it's a pizza, not a canvas for your next Michelin star), began flooding areas surrounding Pizza Haven locations. But the old-school pizza joint never tried to be something it wasn't, for better or worse, sticking to its blue-collar appeal while gaudier places persisted in eating up its market share.

As artisanal pizza restaurants and corporate chains continued to gain ground in the industry, the irrelevance of traditional hangouts like Pizza Haven accelerated. Eventually, a missed tax payment served as the death knell for the business. By 1998, the restaurant had closed all its locations save one lone store in Seattle's Center House, which remained in business until 2012. It's sad, really. When I was growing up, all pizza joints were reminiscent of places like Pizza Haven. But today, those old-school haunts adorned with sports team memorabilia and neon beer signs serving up slices of nostalgia are a dying breed, often sacrificed on the altars of corporate growth and changing tastes.