Straw Hat Pizza

Straw Hat Pizza is a regional American pizza restaurant chain founded in San Leandro, California, in 1959 by Charlie Olson and Bill Henderlong. The founders had previously worked together for Me-N-Ed's, another regional pizza chain, and used the straw hats worn by employees there as the inspiration for their new restaurant's name. The brand developed as a primarily California-based pizza business and at its historical peak operated approximately 230 locations across California and Nevada. The chain's core business is the sale of pizza and related restaurant fare through physical locations. Its identity is rooted in neighborhood and regional restaurant service rather than national-scale packaged food, grocery retail, or a diversified hospitality portfolio. The available reference material does not identify a parent corporation, public listing, ticker symbol, current owner, or a formal international operating structure. Straw Hat Pizza's footprint later became substantially smaller than its historical peak. The company's website was reported to list 23 locations across California as of August 2026, indicating an active but geographically concentrated operation. Because the available material provides limited information about ownership, leadership, menu architecture, financial performance, franchising arrangements, marketing campaigns, and recent corporate decisions, those areas remain undocumented in this entry. The brand is best characterized as a long-established California pizza chain whose historical significance comes from its longevity and earlier regional scale, while its present operation is centered on a smaller California store network.

Straw Hat Pizza was established in 1959 in San Leandro, California, by Charlie Olson and Bill Henderlong. Before creating the brand, Olson and Henderlong had worked together at Me-N-Ed's, a regional pizza chain. The founders carried forward a visual association from that earlier employment: the straw hats worn by employees became the source of the new chain's name. The company expanded from its original California base into a broader regional network. At its historical high point, Straw Hat Pizza had approximately 230 locations spread across California and Nevada. This scale placed the brand among the more prominent regional pizza chains in the western United States, although the available sources do not provide a detailed chronology of store openings, ownership changes, franchise development, menu changes, or geographic expansion. Over time, the chain's operating footprint contracted considerably from its peak. The available reference material reports that, as of August 2026, the company's website listed 23 locations, all in California. This later concentration suggests a shift from a large California-and-Nevada network to a smaller California-centered presence. The sources do not explain whether the reduction resulted from store closures, refranchising, ownership changes, market consolidation, or other strategic factors. The brand's documented history is therefore defined by three clear phases: its founding by two former Me-N-Ed's colleagues in 1959; substantial regional expansion to roughly 230 locations in California and Nevada; and a later, more limited California footprint. No reliable reference information supplied for this entry identifies the current corporate owner, parent company, chief executive, headquarters, financial results, public-market status, or major national advertising programs. Straw Hat Pizza remains an active regional restaurant brand according to the reported location information, but its current corporate structure and operating model require further research.

• 2026

  The listed footprint is concentrated in California

  [1]Straw Hat Pizzaen.wikipedia.org

  As of August 2026, the company's website was reported to list 23 locations across California.

• 1959

  Straw Hat Pizza is founded

  [1]Straw Hat Pizzaen.wikipedia.org

  Charlie Olson and Bill Henderlong founded Straw Hat Pizza in San Leandro, California, after working together at the regional chain Me-N-Ed's.

• The chain reaches approximately 230 locations

  [1]Straw Hat Pizzaen.wikipedia.org

  At its historical peak, Straw Hat Pizza operated about 230 locations across California and Nevada. The source does not provide a specific year for this milestone.

A long-established regional pizza restaurant brand serving local California markets.

• Pizza restaurant food · 1959

  Pizza

  Pizza is the central product category associated with Straw Hat Pizza. The chain operates as a restaurant business, preparing and selling pizza through its physical locations. The supplied sources do not document specific crust styles, sizes, recipes, signature toppings, or current menu formulations.

• 2019.10.17

  Reported2019.10.17

  Straw Hat Pizza partners with FreshBytes for online ordering[2]Straw Hat Pizza 与 FreshBytes 合作提供在线订餐restaurantnews.com

  Straw Hat Pizza partnered with FreshBytes to provide web ordering applications for its restaurants.

Read more

1. 1Straw Hat Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Straw Hat Pizza 与 FreshBytes 合作提供在线订餐restaurantnews.com
3. 3Straw Hat Pizza Partners with FreshBytes for Mobile Ordering | RestaurantNewsRelease.comrestaurantnewsrelease.com