An iconic family-run pizza restaurant is closing its doors after more than 80 years
A favorite among local families and students, Victory Pig Pizza was founded in 1942 by current owner Richard Ceccoli’s Italian immigrant grandparents.
He operates it together with his sons, marking four generations of Cecolis involved in the company.
The restaurant in Wyoming, Pennsylvania is so beloved that a group of friends who dined there while in college in the 1980s reunited for one last meal.
Joe Killian, 60, drove two hours from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, to meet his friends John Loyack, 61, of Reading, and Bob Thomas, 61, of Swoyersville at their old favorite hangout.
The restaurant will close at the end of this month after the Cecoli family put the land up for sale for about $1.2 million.
The grandparents of current owner Richard Ceccoli (photo) founded the place in 1942
Richard Ceccoli, his mother Mary and his sons, from left to right, Richard, Robert and Randon – as they celebrate the restaurant’s 75th anniversary in 2017
The group ordered 80 slices of pizza together and took some home for their families to enjoy.
‘It’s legendary. We’re stocking up,” Killian said the Citizen Voice.
The Victory Pig is one of a growing number of old-school restaurants that still offer curbside service, where servers take orders from people’s cars and bring the pizza to them when it’s ready.
A sign on both sides of the building reads “Blow horn and flashing lights” for service.
“I’ve been eating here all my life, I was surprised when I heard it was closing,” local Ken Hetro, 71, told the Voice.
Mark Wilde, 69, and his wife Linda, 60, from Hunlock Creek also joined the queue for one last slice of their favorite pizza.
“We’ve been married for 40 years, but we’ve been coming here longer,” Mark told the publication.
‘I’ve been hearing stories about my parents coming here for a long time. I’ve been coming here all my life,” said another local resident, Cindy Kluk.
“It’s so sad to see it go.”
Three friends from college in the 1980s met for a final fix from their old haunt
The Victory Pig was founded in 1942 by the owner’s grandparents
The restaurant’s indoor seating has been closed since the pandemic
The restaurant was originally a barbecue restaurant, but quickly became the favorite pizzeria in the area
Many fans traveled from far and wide for a final fix of their favorite pizza
Longtime customers greet the staff like old friends before the restaurant closes for good
The historic restaurant was first opened in 1942 by the Ceccoli family as a barbecue restaurant specializing in pork sandwiches.
Lee Ceccoli brought her husband a few slices of pizza for lunch one day and he sold them for a nickel each to curious people who had never heard of the dish.
The pizza was so popular that it eventually became a pizza restaurant.
While The Victory Pig has continued its curbside service, indoor seating at the restaurant has remained closed since the pandemic.