Pizza John's, a Local Landmark

Heather Ziehl grew up in Essex, and she considers nights eating at  as one of her fondest childhood memories.

“It’s a legend in my family,” she said.

Ziehl’s father passed away a decade ago, and she said, “It’s the one thing he and I did together every single Friday night for years."

Visit the Pizza John’s Facebook page, and you’ll read similar tales of nostalgia mixed with praise. If you’re from the Essex area or have ever been to or know someone from the area, you’ve heard of Pizza John's on Back River Neck Road.

Patrons who have moved far away make it a point to visit Pizza John’s when they come back to town.

Part of what endears people to the establishment involves so much more than the pizzas, subs or pasta dishes. The story of Pizza John’s is one of a family working hard to achieve the great American dream. It's our own Field of Dreams, if you swap out baseballs for pizza.

John Coruzzi, the eldest of three brothers, traveled from Abruzzi, Italy, to America when he was 16 years old, landing in East Baltimore. He worked as a baker, then moved on to become a pizza maker at Squire’s Café in Dundalk. Pizza making stuck with him. A decade later, John decided to go out on his own with the blessings of his former employer.

Pizza John’s started as a carry-out sub shop in a rented building in 1966 with three employees. That year, Pete (the middle brother) came to America to work with John; their youngest brother, Tony, followed shortly. The three brothers shared a townhouse, working together day in, day out, all working, none taking a salary. 

“We knew we were building something for our future,” Pete Coruzzi said. "We were working seven days a week for seven years … 17 hours a day. You have to allocate all of your time to make a go of it to make it a success. It’s not a part-time business.”

Just as with the current expansion, the growth of Pizza John’s was done in increments, building on a strong foundation and customer base. That first growth step involved finding a permanent location.

“You can’t grow a business when you’re renting. You are stuck by the structure and parking around you, so there’s no room to grow,” Pete said.

In 1977, they relocated to their own building with plenty of room to expand.

When they opened, Pete Coruzzi admired and emulated the business tactics of another food giant: McDonald’s. He marveled that people were sweeping the parking lot and doing odd jobs when the surge of customers lulled.

More than that, Pete said, “I saw multiple registers where people could get their orders in quickly. In the standard sub shop, there’s one line. That means the customer waits. They may wait the first time, but they won’t come back.”

A customer should wait no more than 18 minutes from the time he orders to when he gets his food, Pete said.

Pete has timed that early on, and many times since then. He’s a man who walks around with a copy of the Pizza John’s employee policy handbook tucked in his breast pocket.

Coruzzi may look like he’s casually strolling about and greeting customers, but he’s surveying the quality of the food being delivered, as well as the orderliness of his dining room.

The three Coruzzi brothers groomed and grew Pizza John’s through a major expansion that made space for 220 patrons in four dining rooms. Pete Coruzzi said three is the perfect number for a strong management team.

“You see, too many family businesses where there is one person or even two people who keep control of a business, and as the principals get older, the quality starts to decline.

"Also, when everything is left to one person, the burn-out factor sets in and takes a toll on the family. It’s not just a bad thing for a family. It fragments and splinters a business.”

To that end, Pete explained, when John retired, it made sense to add another partner, Pete’s son-in-law Brett Steel. A few years later, Pete’s other son-in-law, Timothy Stevens, bought out Anthony’s share of the business.

It’s all about bringing fresh blood to the management team.

“The important thing is that they have an ownership interest in the business. It means more to them. They are building for their futures,” Pete said.

Today, Pizza John's continues building figuratively and literally.

The restaurant is undertaking another expansion that will add yet another 100 seats and 35 parking spots. This expansion is coming at a time when other businesses are barely staying afloat economically, which speaks volumes about the quality of the product.

While the Coruzzi brothers could have constructed a building to fit the space initially, part of the company’s longevity, said Pete, involves steady growth, but not overgrowth.

Another part of the longevity results from the management team’s insistence on ingredients that go above and beyond what people would expect from what Pete still refers to as “a fast food restaurant.”

It means cheese on a cheese pizza that normally rates as extra cheese for other pizzerias. It also means pasta imported directly from Italy and fresh desserts and ice cream to finish off the dining experience.

Pizza John’s is a friendly experience for diners who range from long-time customers and their friends and children, local sports teams who come in after a game and former locals looking for a Pizza John’s fix. You’ll see a lot of the same faces week after week.

Pete Coruzzi said it’s important that they support the community because the community certainly supports them.