The story of Pizza Mondo begins in the fall of 1996 when owners John Picarazzi and Steve Koch decided to leave their lawyer jobs behind and try their hand at something new.  Armed with a lifelong passion for pizza, the Picarazzi family recipes, and their uncommon sense, they found a great downtown Bend location and began the process of creating Pizza Mondo. 

  To John and Steve, the formula for success was simple; make outrageously great pizza, use the best quality ingredients available, prepare everything possible in-house, keep prices reasonable and competitive, treat the customers as you would want to be treated, provide a lively and fun environment, play good music, keep your employees happy, minimize your environmental impacts, and be a positive contributor to the community.

  By zealously adhering to this basic formula, Pizza Mondo has not only survived but has thrived.  After almost a decade in business, Pizza Mondo has become a downtown Bend landmark.  We are a favorite of locals (Awards), and out-of-towners who make return visits to Pizza Mondo a traditional part of their Bend vacations. 

  We have stayed true to our values, and we believe it shows in everything from the quality of our pizza to the legacy of our staff.  We feel fortunate to have had so many great long term employees over our tenure.  From our original crew (Mel, Bip, Brad, Boots, Gregg, Leslie and Heidi!) to our present crew of powerhouse pizza gods, our success is entirely due to the hard work of our great employees.  While a few of these folks have gone on to open their own pizza restaurants in other locations, most have simply moved on to begin other chapters of their lives.  However, almost all have remained good friends and will always be part of the Pizza Mondo family.

  Our story does not end here.  Exciting things continue to happen in the world of Pizza Mondo.  Cliff Triplett, our longest term employee, has become a part owner of the business.  If you see Cliff, be sure to congratulate him.  Also, the many recent changes in Bend and the restaurant community have created several new challenges and opportunities.  We welcome these changes and strive to continue to be a vital option for reasonably priced high quality food, serving up the best possible pizza for dine-in, take out and delivery.

  So whether your next visit to Pizza Mondo is your first or your five hundredth, enjoy and thanks for your support.       

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