Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
BITTERSWEET
John’s Pizza in Frazer to close on Sunday after 49 years of operation
The legend has retired. Chris Hashem is closing John’s Pizza on Sunday, after working at the family business for nearly five decades, and he is looking forward to his “bittersweet” retirement.
“It was an adventure,” Chris said. “It was a dream come true. We were very proud, we had beautiful customers. We always tried to give our best.”
Chris would work at the pizza shop after school, and he continued to work there while attending college. He even worked at the shop while working as a CPA, but he knew he had to make a decision about which occupation to pursue. It was a hard decision, but he was glad he continued the operation of his father’s pizza shop and he spent time working there with his family. In addition to his family, for him, it’s all about the customers.
“I remember a lot of names,” Chris said. “People would call
and say their name, and they didn’t have to tell me their order, I knew what they wanted.”
His father, John, opened the business in 1970 to support their family shortly after they came to the United States. John began his career in education as a math teacher and later served as the principal. At the advice of their relative, who worked as a chef in New York, John opened the pizza shop to support his nine children.
“Our uncle said food is a way to everyone’s heart,” said John’s daughter, Gabriella Hashem Farhat, “especially pizza.”
They faced several challenges from learning how to operate a business to the children learning English as a second language. They first lived in Delaware County and would commute to Frazer to operate the business before moving to Chester County. The small pizza shop opened on Lancaster Pike before moving up the road to 630 Lancaster Pike to offer a larger space for their customers to enjoy their famous pizza and cheesesteaks.
“We loved that hole in the wall next door. It was home. But it didn’t fit everyone,” he said explaining that the prior store in its entirety was the same size as the main sitting area of the current location.
His food today would be shipped all over the United States by his customers who wanted to share the food with their children who had grown up and had since moved away. On Friday, he made an order of 30 cheesesteaks that were sent to Alaska for a birthday celebration. Chris recalls community members hosting birthday parties, funerals, sporting celebrations, hoagie drives for school fundraisers and other events at the shop.
“It was all about the community,” Chris said. “We wanted to make the customers happy. We did everything because of our dedication and love for them.”
He even kept the shop open past its posted operating hours to satisfy his customers, and their stomachs.
“People would call from the airport and would ask ‘what time do you close?’ I’d ask when they could get here,” he said, even if it meant waiting another hour.
It was important to his family to serve quality ingredients, despite the costs, because to them it was about the food and not the profits. He adds that his customers knew that it was another factor that built their reputation. Some even had lunch there every day during their lunch break at work.
Among the shop’s notable awards, John’s Pizza was voted by the Philadelphia Magazine as “One of the top 30 cheesesteaks to eat before you die.” The list included many shops in Philadelphia County, which is known for its cheesesteaks.
He said he feels “a lot of different emotions” and wants the pizza shop to remain open, but he is also ready to enjoy his retirement after working seven days a week for years.
“Deep down inside, I want to change my mind. This is telling me to stay open,” he said pointing at his head, and then to his body, “but this is telling me it’s time to retire.”
Chris started working at there at 19 years of age, and is now 69. His family believes that the business would continue to do well, but there are not family members in the immediate area who could take over the business. His siblings and his two children all have other careers. His father passed away six years ago, and he found it hard to find a manager to replace his father. John was often found working on the cash register and chatting with customers, as if they were family.
Chris is talking with a prospective business person who might open a restaurant at that property.
Many customers came to the shop for food and to wish Chris the best during his retirement. Some hugged him, and some even cried.
“Our customers would bring their children, and then they grew up and they would bring their children and so on,” Chris explained, “some as many as four generations.”
They have even had three generations of family members working together, but now the doors will close on Sunday night after a celebration with family and friends. Chris and his family members described his retirement as “bittersweet” because they are happy to see him retire, and they are also sad to see the pizza shop close after 49 years. Many of them grew up working there.
“This is definitely a bittersweet situation but I’m so happy for my dad. My brother and I were raised at the shop so it’s hard to imagine life without it, but my dad has worked his entire life for the two of us and there’s nothing we want more than for him to be happy,” Laura Hashem said. “John’s Pizza may be closing but I know his legacy will live on, and I’m grateful for the memories I’ve had here. So much of what I’ve learned about hard work comes from my dad, and I can’t wait to see him finally relax.”
Visit Daily Local News staff writer Ginger Rae Dunbar’s blog about journalism and volunteering as a firefighter at FirefighterGinger.blogspot.com.