Last Slice Served At Jack Straw's Pizza In Wheaton

WHEATON, IL — Jack Straw's Pizza has been the go-to place to grab a slice of pizza in Wheaton for 35 years. Last month, the beloved pizzeria, located at 221 South Naperville Road, closed unexpectedly and unceremoniously, leaving Wheaton residents heartbroken and looking for an explanation.

The announcement came via a June 10 post on Jack Straw's Pizza's Facebook page that simply said, "Thank you Wheaton for 35 wonderful years." Within minutes, the post ignited a string of comments from surprised and disappointed customers. Longtime fans of Jack Straw's Pizza expressed shock that the restaurant was closing, only to find out that the announcement meant the pizza joint had already closed. Then, residents responded with frustration that no notice had been given to let customers come in for one last slice. One customer posted a "closed" sign in the comments that said beneath it "on vacation."

Jack Straw's Pizza first welcomed diners in 1982 with the promise of what founder and owner Bill Hood called "genuine Vienna beef hot dogs," "made to order" pizza and other home-cooked treats. On the website Jack Straw's Pizza states, "any one can sell a burger and call it fast food, but what I believe we do is provide people with a delicious piece of americana [sic] unique to the Chicago area." With the closure of Jack Straw's Pizza in the face of other small business food and retail closures throughout America, Wheaton has lost an important slice of history.

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