Colorado Pizza Place Closes After Years of Service: “It’s Emotional,” Says Co-Owner

In the southern section of the Denver metropolitan region, there is a well-liked pizza restaurant that is having its doors shut down. Frank the Pizza King, a pizza business in Englewood that is a favourite among families, received the news on Thursday that they will be required to evacuate their location within a small number of weeks. Both the customers and the co-owner are referring to it as a difficult farewell.

For the past 64 years, Frank the Pizza King has been providing delicious pizzas to the neighbourhood located off South Broadway. Matt Krascek, who is a co-owner of the building, received the news that the property owner from whom they had been renting the building decided to sell it to a new owner last week.

Krascek expressed his feelings by saying, “When I got that call, my heart sank into my stomach.” “It is not out of the question that we could go out of business for good. Yes, I sincerely hope not. “I pray about it each and every day.”

Krascek stated that he was informed that the building was available for purchase, but he was not anticipating that things would move so rapidly.

“It makes me emotional thinking about it, like how much this place means people, and how much it means to me and my family,” Krascek said in response.

A little over sixty years ago, Krascek’s grandparents, who were originally from Italy, established the company. The dining room is filled with vintage photographs of his family, and the recipes have remained unchanged over the course of his life. The sauce, the bread and the sausage are all made that they manufacture themselves.

“They were bringing their own recipes and making pizzas and sandwiches and we’ve been doing this ever since,” Krascek explained to reporters.

Numerous individuals would argue that it is more than just a diner. It’s a spot where people used to make memories for decades, and it’s like having a home away from home. You can ask anyone who goes through the doors, such as Richard Burton, who has been a customer for a very long time.

“I’ve been coming eating here since I was 8 years old when they opened, now I’m 72,” said the restaurant owner. “We love each other as a customer, as a friend, and now family.”

Burton spent his childhood at Franks, and he continues to take his grandchildren there now. In addition, a photograph of his race car is displayed on the wall.

The car that is displayed on the wall over there is my champion car. This is the Frank’s Pizza emblem, and for the past three decades, it has been displayed in that exact location on each and every one of our race vehicles,” said Burton.

Burton stated that the restaurant has been a constant for many people, including himself, through the highs and lows that their lives have brought them.

When Burton was struck by lightning in 2009, he spent 17 weeks in the hospital recovering from his injuries. “When I got struck by lightning, Maria (the owner) took very good care of my family, making sure they had food at the hospital,” Burton said.

More than that, there aren’t many eateries that are comparable to it.

Colorado Pizza Place Closes After Years of Service: “It’s Emotional,” Says Co-Owner

It’s going to be a very sad event. The sentimental Burton stated, “You don’t find restaurants like this anymore that care about their customers like these guys do.” Burton was visibly moved by the statement.

According to Krascek, their future is still uncertain, but they have dreams of opening a new store in the neighbourhood.

“I would be thrilled to be able to open out further. If it were at all possible, I would love to maintain a portion of the Englewood footprint. This would allow everyone to continue coming in and enjoying what I refer to as the Frank’s family, which includes both my employees and the customers. In light of this, I want to ensure that Frank’s family remains united, and this location is extremely important to both my family and me,” Krascek explained.

Krascek acknowledges that it is a difficult farewell, despite the fact that the restaurant has been flooded with guests ever since the news spread. The specific day on which they will close has not yet been determined, according to him, although it might be somewhere in the month of May.

“We’ve been scrambling, and really haven’t had time to even kind of focus on finding a new location,” Krascek explained to reporters.

Prior to the beginning of this week, Franks made a post on their Facebook page regarding the news. Up to this point, it has motivated hundreds of individuals to interact with the post. There is also a petition and a fundraising campaign that may be seen online in an effort to save the company. Every penny that is raised will be put towards the search for a new location.