Frank the Pizza King forced to close after 64 years

END TO AN ERA?

Walter Krascek, left, owner of Frank The Pizza King, places a pizza in the oven as his son, Matt, prepares pizza dough for spreading, in 2011. The family announced the restaurant would close in spring of 2025. JOHN PRIETO — THE DENVER POST

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By Miguel Otárola

motarola@denverpost.com

Frank the Pizza King, an Italian pizza parlor in Englewood favored for its casual cuisine and quaint comfort, will have to leave its original location of 64 years.

Its namesake, Frank Krascek, opened the restaurant in 1961 at 4701 S. Broadway, inside a long, shingled house. But the building’s owner informed the family last week that he had sold the building to a new landlord who wants to clean house, said Walt Krascek, Frank’s son.

“Heartbroken” was how Walt described his feelings inside the restaurant’s kitchen Tuesday. “We’re going to stay open as long as we can. Until they kick us out of here.”

Frank the Pizza King’s unassuming exterior — and it’s classic green and red sign — hid an Englewood family favorite, equipped with a jukebox, arcade games and framed pictures of customers. The kitchen has been whipping up large, thin-crust pizzas and cheesy garlic bread much the same way throughout the years. Walt manages from the back of the house while his sister, Maria, waits tables and his son, Matt, delivers pizzas and does whatever else needs attention.

“We grew up here,” Matt, 38, said, calling the restaurant a “second home” for him and his family.

One customer has launched an online campaign to keep her longtime favorite open in its original location. At 32, Rachel Weaver is half the age of Frank the Pizza King. Her parents first took her to the restaurant when she was a baby, she said.

Her MoveOn page had drawn more than 1,500 votes by Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s like it’s held in a time capsule,” Weaver said of the restaurant. “You walk in and just feel the simplicity.”

On Thursday, the family behind Frank the Pizza King announced it had endorsed the fan-launched GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for reopening in another location.

But while Walt said he appreciated the public voicing of support, he doubts it will help.

Weaver, who lives in Iowa now, will visit friends and family in Colorado this weekend. She will also pay Frank the Pizza King a visit, she said, dining in for a gluten-free pizza and a cherry coke.