San Leandro BizFile: Straw Hat Pizza Born Here

In 1959, Alaska and Hawaii became states.

Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. 

Charlton Heston rode his chariot to movie glory in Ben Hur.

And near Washington Avenue in San Leandro, two men opened a pizza parlor that grew into the chain now known as Straw Hat Pizza.

The two men were Charlie Olson and Bill Henderlong, the latter of whom passed away in 2008 in Danville, where he was memorialized. 

Today Straw Hat, a cooperative governed by store owners, is headquartered in San Ramon.

Why these restaurant pioneers chose San Leandro as their premier site is lost in the fog of history, according to Craig Davies, who joined the business in 1968 and is the longest serving Straw Hat veteran.

But here's what Davies recalls about the early days.

Henderlong and Olson had worked for a regional string of pizza parlors in the Central Valley that went under the name of Me 'N Ed. Davies said the two men decided to think bigger, and set their sites on creating a statewide, possibly nationwide chain.

The San Leandro entrepreneurs took the "straw hat" concept from the head gear worn by employees at Me 'N Ed. They added a few embellishments like putting free Charlie Horses in stores for kids to ride -- and as a way to lure parents (see photo).

The chain, originally called Straw Hat Pizza Supreme, grew in the Bay Area and Northern California.

In the 1980s, Straw Hat Pizza Supreme merged with a Southern California chain called Pizza Palace.

Davies said the combined operation was called Straw Hat Pizza Palace for a while but eventually shortened the name to Straw Hat Pizza.

The company took many other twists and turns along the way.

And the founders actually got out early, selling the business in 1970, according to Henderlong's obituary.

But here is where they started with their pioneering vision.

"They were the first out of the box with the idea of a large chain," Davies said.

Coming soon: Another national chain started that in San Leandro.

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