Four friends help revive Carlsbad's beloved pizza parlor after pandemic

A Carlsbad pizza shop with over a 40-year legacy was given a new lease on life when four long-time friends decided they didn't want to see their favorite place shut down.

“When they closed their doors, it was, I hate to use the word devastating, but it was a really hard time for a lot of people because a lot of things were closing down. And That Pizza Place was, in their minds, one of those victims of the pandemic. So it was a really tough time,” said John Chavez, one of the four friends who reopened the shop. 

That Pizza Place was opened in 1978 by Mike Pfankuch and his family. On June 23, 2020, That Pizza Place posted on Facebook saying that they were going to permanently close their doors because “there is no other option for us.”

"Kind of felt bad because it's been a fixture here for quite a few years," said longtime customer Kurt Pappas. "So, it's kind of like losing something that you've been used to for a long time."

Upon hearing about its closure Troy, John, Chris and Thadd, all who grew up in Carlsbad, got together and decided to buy the shop to keep it alive. 

“We decided we wanted to keep it open. It's a really important part of the community. I know there's a big, thriving downtown area in Carlsbad, but this is a place where a lot of locals grew up, and they know this place,” Chavez told NBC 7. 

When they closed, the four friends made a deal with Mike and acquired the location in Sept. 2020, but didn’t fully reopen until last year.

"So we convinced the previous owners to sell us the recipe, and the name, leased out the same location, and it was 42 years old at the time, so it was due for a renovation," Troy Guerra said. "It took us a long time during COVID-19 to get it done, but now we opened it up."

The group of friends made some changes to the shop, while still keeping some nostalgic pieces.

"All the countertops are the original countertops from 1978. There are some lights on the wall. Those red lights are original. Behind the arcade, there's that lovely wallpaper. That's original. That was everywhere throughout the whole restaurant," Troy said.

And the food?

"So pizza is always going to be what we're all about. But certainly, we've added a few things since then," said Troy Guerra.

The new items added to the menu are desserts, and wings and they've added more local taps to the beer menu.

That Pizza Place is also known for sponsoring local high school sports teams and has acquired lots of photos from teams they have sponsored over the years.

"And so the week they were closing, there was a line up the street of people trying to get pizza for the last time and also picking up old photos after 45 years. The walls were covered in photos from teams that they had sponsored over the years," said Troy, hoping they can continue the tradition.

When asked if the group would do it all over again, Troy said,

"I remember one instance, it was about a month into when we opened, and I walked in on a Saturday, and there were probably five birthday parties in here, and I got a little choked up. I was like, ‘You know what? This is why we did this. This is why we brought this back, is to create memories for families, for the community to have a place to come.’ And that's really kind of the most rewarding thing, I think, to this point.”