Cicero's Pizza closes its doors!
Roberta L. Millstein
of making pizza -- according to owner Nunzio Cicero, once the dough runs
out. I'm going to miss this flat crust pizza with the tasty sauce, the
baby food jars with holes punched in them (to hold the hot peppers and
parmesean cheese, doncha know), and pizza reliably made in 20 minutes.
The good news from Bob (Cicero?) is that, after taking a break, he will
reopen as Cicero's, but for take-out only. So, hopefully we will only
be Cicero-less for a little while.
Roberta
--
Roberta L. Millstein
rlmil...@spamaway.rlm.net
Remove "spamaway" to reply
Scott D.
<rlmil...@spamaway.rlm.net> wrote:
>Yes, it's true. A Cupertino institution is closing today after 33 years
>of making pizza -- according to owner Nunzio Cicero, once the dough runs
>out. I'm going to miss this flat crust pizza with the tasty sauce, the
>baby food jars with holes punched in them (to hold the hot peppers and
>parmesean cheese, doncha know), and pizza reliably made in 20 minutes.
>The good news from Bob (Cicero?) is that, after taking a break, he will
>reopen as Cicero's, but for take-out only. So, hopefully we will only
>be Cicero-less for a little while.
>
>Roberta
IIRC, the founder of Cicero's is *Frank* Cicero, although "Bob"
may be a member of the family.
Old-timers remember that operation when it was in that old long-gone
strip mall right on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd
REAL old-timers remember when it was previously Coppola's.
Roberta L. Millstein
Scott D. <yose...@programmer.SNIP.net> wrote:
Read again...did I say that Bob was the founder? On the contrary, he is
young enough to want to continue the business. According to the San
Jose Mercury News, 5/22/01: "The business was started in 1956 by Nunzio
Cicero's stepdaughter. Nunzio Cicero himself moved from Niagara Falls,
took over in 1968, and at age 88 is still making pies."
So, that's where the 33 years comes from -- 33 years with Nunzio Cicero
as owner. But you're right, the actual business is older.
Geoff Miller
Scott D. <yose...@programmer.SNIP.net> writes:
> Old-timers remember that operation when it was in that old
> long-gone strip mall right on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd.
The one next to the R. Cali & Bro. feed plant, you mean?
> REAL old-timers remember when it was previously Coppola's.
I remember that, too. I also remember when the current (or
current until recently) location of Cicero's on Stevens Creek
at Blaney was a Burger Pit.
I ate at Coppola's when I was a kid, but never did try Cicero's.
Geoff "old Cupertino hand" Miller
--
"We come into this world naked, covered in our own blood, and screaming
in terror--and it doesn't have to stop there if you know how to live
right." --Dana Gould
Steven Scharf
> Yes, it's true. A Cupertino institution is closing today after 33 years
> of making pizza -- according to owner Nunzio Cicero, once the dough runs
> out. I'm going to miss this flat crust pizza with the tasty sauce, the
> baby food jars with holes punched in them (to hold the hot peppers and
> parmesean cheese, doncha know), and pizza reliably made in 20 minutes.
> The good news from Bob (Cicero?) is that, after taking a break, he will
> reopen as Cicero's, but for take-out only. So, hopefully we will only
> be Cicero-less for a little while.
Is the city of Cupertino planning a parade to celebrate?
We live about five blocks from Cicero's; it's the closest pizza place to our
house. I used to go there a lot before I lived in Cupertino when they were over
by Cali Bros., where Armadillo Willy's is now. It was always good back then.
At first I was happy to have moved close to them (two years ago) and told my
wife how good their pizza was. Then I went there I was amazed at how horrible
the pizza was. I thought that they must have changed owners and that the new
owner was just exploiting the name. The sauce was sickeningly sweet and the
mushrooms were canned and the crust was soggy.
Clearly business must have been way down or they could have sold the business
to a new owner instead of shutting down. Near the end they even tried opening
on Sundays to boost business, but apparently it was not enough. You can't rest
on a reputation and wreck your product. This works for a short time, but you
don't get any new repeat customers, and eventually even the old customers give
up on you. When your pizza is worse than Costco's, and a lot more expensive,
it's time to move on, as they are doing.
Steve
