ORDER NOW THE FOOD LOCATIONS SPECIALS HISTORY CAREERS CONTACT HOW IT ALL BEGAN PEACE, LOVE & PIZZA Let’s step into our time machine and take a trip back to the tumultuous era of “free love”. The year was 1966 and the closest thing to an iPod was a transistor radio. The Beach Boys were pickin’ up “Good Vibrations”, while The Rolling Stones were just happy to “Paint it Black”. This was a time of great expression and discovery. At the end of the day, when the revolutionaries were done marching for civil rights and the hippies were coming down from being groovy, they all needed some righteous grub to satisfy their bodacious munchies. Right in the middle of all this liberation, was a young man named Jack Holt who thought, “I should listen to the people, and give them what they want”. So, he figured he’d go for it, and opened up the legendary JACK’S PIZZA. As any man or woman has experienced at one time, or another, Jack was searching for a way to break out and put his stamp on the world. However, being near broke, he found it a little more difficult to achieve. So he did what any responsible person would do, he got a job, and he was still broke. So, in 1964, with Christmas fast approaching, he took a second job as a delivery driver for a mom and pop pizza shop. Jack figured it would be a short-term fix to “earn some extra dough”, while he figured out what he really wanted to do with his life. A LEGEND IS BORN The couple Jack worked for owned two full menu pizza shops. This kept everyone in the family very busy, and although Jack had “a real job” working full time elsewhere, he kept his nose to the grindstone delivering pizzas. Soon, Ma & Pa realized the time constraints of running two family owned shops, left very little time for family. Out of necessity, Jack became more and more involved with learning all aspects of the pizza biz, even if it was “what not to do”. Until the day an opportunity arose when Jack stopped in to pick up a delivery, only to find out Ma & Pa had decided to sell one of their shops. So on that day, in June of 1966, with the money he had saved from working two jobs, Jack purchased the couple’s pizza shop and the Jack’s Pizza legend was born. Jack will tell you, “It was a hunch”. He believed he could work it out and make a pizza un-like any other. So Jack devoted himself to the quest of creating the perfect pizza. He experimented with a few different blends of sauce, until he tasted a sauce delivering just the right amount of ZIP! He spent a great deal of time seasoning many types of sausage, until he created one uniquely all his own. As for the crust…well, that was fairly simple, eliminate the extra dough! Instead, Jack figured he would fill you up with the things you really want. A pizza piled high with garden fresh vegetables, and meaty toppings, held together by a layer of whole milk mozzarella cheese, baked over a crispy thin crust. Afterall, isn’t dough for making breadsticks? “Pile it high, and make it a great buy!” His recipe and philosophy have remained the same since 1966 with no need of an apology for lack of taste, or lack of toppings, doughy crust, or cutting corners. Sure, we may not have the cheapest pizza out there, but we do believe we have the best tasting one. JACK G. HOLT THE MAN WHO MADE PIZZAS AS BIG AS HIS HEART 1933-2013 GROWING A LEGACY Now through the years, the legend of JACK’S PIZZA has continued to grow and be very popular with its customers. It hasn’t always been easy and there were challenges to overcome. However, Jack has always been a hardworking man. Someone who burned the candle at both ends, and delivered the effort necessary to build a brand and product people could trust. A hard-working “son of a gun”, who built a successful business over the years through “word of mouth”, and by establishing loyal friendships. A “handshake” philosophy backed with honesty and integrity. Ideals which continue to be part of the JACK’S PIZZA culture to this day, and allowed Jack to expand the brand through licensee locations throughout Indianapolis. “I worked so hard -- I’d have to take naps at red lights on my way to and from work. The sound of the car horn blaring behind me was my snooze button.” - Jack PASSING THE TORCH In the spring of 2001, Jack decided to “kick back” a bit and “pass the pizza oven”, so to speak, over to his youngest son. With a lot of love, pride and respect; Jack passed responsibility for daily operations and oversight of the brand over to his son, Mick Holt. It’s safe to say many of Mick’s childhood memories involve pizza. Whether it was riding along with his father to work, eating up slice after slice, or catching a quick catnap on a huge 50 lb. bag of flour, pizza has always been a big part of his life. As a teenager, Mick began to take on various responsibilities around the business and truly learn the craft of making the perfect pizza. At the age of 21, Mick took complete responsibility for the oversight and production of one of our most treasured ingredients…the crust. (Made fresh and shipped daily to the stores, but that’s another story). After excelling in this area, and earning his father’s trust, Mick assumed complete oversight of the brand, and legacy of Jack’s Pizza. QUALITY. CONSISTENCY. VALUE. A trusted brand crafted by special people, who will continue to put our customers needs first. We at Jack’s Pizza sincerely thank all of our customers for your loyal patronage through the past 5 decades, and we look forward to “Piling It On” for you in the future. © Jack's Pizza. All Rights Reserved.