Sam's Pizza Palace, Inc.
 | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
|---|---|
| Founded 📆 | 1957 |
| Founder 👔 | Sam Spera |
Area served 🗺️ | |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | http://www.SamsPizzaPalace.com |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Sam’s Pizza Palace is an Italian pizza company founded by Sam Spera in 1957. Its physical location is situated on the three-mile boardwalk on the barrier island of The Wildwoods, New Jersey.
Early history[edit]
Sam Spera (founder), known for being “dressed neatly in khakis and a cardigan with a newsboy cap,”[1] immigrated to the United States of America from Sicily, Italy in 1951.[2] In the early 1950s, Spera visited Wildwood, New Jersey in search of a property where he'd soon begin his restaurant venture. After a two-year partnership running a restaurant called Marconi's, Sam set out on his own to open his first solo restaurant by the name of Sam's Steak House. In his small restaurant on 24th Street consisting of just 5 tables and a 15-stool counter, Sam's Steak House served only sandwiches and sodas.
In 1957, Spera added pizza to the menu, and Sam's Steak House became Sam's Pizza Palace[3]. "Looking to drum up more business, Spera purchased a pizza oven and used an old Sicilian recipe that had been passed down to him."[4] Sam's Pizza slices were just 15 cents apiece. Business grew rapidly, and a second Sam's Pizza Palace location was promptly added two blocks down on the north side of 26th Street. In 1988, the two businesses once again became one, and the single Sam's Pizza Palace moved to its present location on the south side of 26th Street.[5]
Fire of 2005[edit]
On December 9th, 2005, a 9 alarm fire swept through Sam's Pizza Palace and the adjacent Shore Plaza Motel. Deemed accidental and originating in a third floor room at the then-unoccupied Shore Plaza Motel, the fire began at 2:30pm and quickly engulfed the entire building due to winds blowing in from the west.[6] Firefighters battled the blaze into the early hours of the morning on December 10th. As a result of the major destruction caused by the fire, both Sam's Pizza Palace and Shore Plaza Motel were demolished. Sam's Pizza Palace was promptly reconstructed, and reopened at the same 26th Street location in May 2006.
The death of Sam Spera (1928-2021)[edit]
On March 12, 2021, Sam's Pizza Palace announced that its founder, Sam Spera, passed away at age 92.[7] "The news of Spera's death prompted an outpouring of condolences and memories on social media, where regular visitors and even former employees remembered the man who built a Wildwood tradition that will continue with his spirit."[8] A message shared on the Sam's Pizza Palace Facebook Page read "Sam leaves behind a legacy built on flour and sauce, hard work, and strong will. To our customers, staff, and friends- we thank you for being part of his life and story."[9]
Present day[edit]
Today, Sam's Pizza Palace stands at 2600 Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ. "If you know Wildwood, you know and love Sam’s Pizza Palace. The tradition continues at Sam’s as a family affair (...) And after all these years, people still go crazy for the pizza."[10] Sam's Pizza Palace is currently owned and operated by Sam's three children: Rosemary, Tony, and Rita.
Sources[edit]
- ↑ Nark, Jason. "Sam's Pizza's sweet sauce divides and binds my family at the Shore". https://www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 2021-05-20. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ NJ.com, Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for (2014-08-30). "A Palace on the Wildwood boardwalk serves up a slice of Shore life". nj. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ↑ "Sam's Pizza Palace Wildwood Boardwalk History". www.samswildwood.com. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ↑ "Founder of Sam's Pizza Palace on Wildwood boardwalk dies at 92". PhillyVoice. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ↑ NJ.com, Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for (2014-08-30). "A Palace on the Wildwood boardwalk serves up a slice of Shore life". nj. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ↑ "StackPath". www.firehouse.com. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ↑ "https://twitter.com/samspizzapalace/status/1370371674600783877". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-05-20. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "Founder of Sam's Pizza Palace on Wildwood boardwalk dies at 92". PhillyVoice. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ↑ "We are heartbroken to share that our Dad, Sam Spera, has passed away at the age of 92". Facebook. Retrieved 2021-05-20. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Pat Does That: Sam's Pizza Palace On The Wildwood Boardwalk". 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
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