Nostalgia, Party of Two, Your Table is Now Available
How a T-shirt took me back in time
Earlier this year, while I was visiting my dad in Indiana, my childhood friend Ryan gave me a present– a tie-dyed T-shirt with the Pizza King logo splashed across the front.
“You can’t be in a bad mood if you’re wearing tie-dye,” he told me.
I don’t think I’ve ever worn a tie-dye T-shirt – unless you count that color changing Hypercolor shirt that was popular in the 1990s.
But when I saw the Pizza King shirt, I smiled.
Because I loved it.
“Pizza King” may mean nothing to most Americans – but just hearing the words together immediately takes me back to my childhood in Indiana.
There were plenty of pizza places back then, but Pizza King was different.
For starters, the only kind of pizza they served was thin-crust, smothered with cheese and diced toppings that spread all the way to the edge of the pizza.
With apologies to Italians…
And being an “authentic” Italian restaurant, they also served nachos, chicken wings, and potatoes covered in bacon and cheese.
But it wasn’t necessarily the menu that pulled us in.
It was the experience.
Sometimes, when we’d make the 30-mile trip to Lafayette to shop for back-to-school clothes or Christmas presents, we’d talk our mom into taking us for lunch at the Pizza King near the mall.
That one was special – as it had a toy train deliver the soft drinks to your table.
And if you were lucky enough to snag a booth in that Pizza King, you could also play Frogger while you waited for your food (yes, on Atari).
Our local Pizza King didn’t have video games, but in high school it was a fun place to share breadsticks dunked in cheese sauce with friends after a night at the local movie theater.
But my Pizza King memories end there.
I don’t recall going when I was in college, or in the years after.
In fact, when Ryan gave me that T-shirt, I realized I hadn’t visited a Pizza King in decades.
But suddenly I wanted to.
And this summer, after my father was hospitalized, I found myself back in Indiana.
When Ryan offered to take me for dinner one night, instead of opting for one of the city’s finer steakhouses or sushi restaurants, I asked if we could go to Pizza King.
Yes, in a city with a world-famous steakhouse, this is where I chose to go for dinner
When I saw the sign outside the Noblesville outlet, I felt like I had been transported back in time.
Not 1955 like Marty McFly – but 1995.
There were Tiffany lamps glowing above the tables, and the dark red and gold color scheme and decor signalled the place hadn’t been updated since stone-washed jeans were popular.
There was no toy train delivering drinks, or video game consoles, but there was a phone at the booth.
I had to pick it up to place our order.
Even the logo was unchanged.
I laughed when I saw it printed on a napkin – right next to a QR code.
It was the only clue that the last decade had happened.
But everything else was just like I remembered: laminated menus, diced toppings, and thin crust pizza where the pepperoni pushed to the very edge.
The taste of the pizza was familiar, but it wasn’t really about the food.
I was there for that feeling behind the tie-dyed T-shirt – the joy, the fun, the memories.
And even without the toy train and video games, I still got what I was craving – that feeling of home.
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Researching this piece, I discovered Pizza King was A LOT more popular in Indiana than I realized.
So if you’re craving a place where you can enjoy nachos, breadsticks, and pizza — here’s where you can find them in Indiana:
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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and plain cheese pizza like Kevin McCallister.
She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.
Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm, and an endless supply of pop culture references.
To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com
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