Thursday, June 14, 2012 | midnight
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Always referred to as Metro West, the pizzeria at Decatur and Flamingo was always my Metro Pizza. Now the company’s oldest store, opened in November 1986, it was one of my family’s favorite destinations growing up. Hit the huge Video Park for movie rentals, then share a pie at Metro.
Funny thing: The place still has the same cheesy ’80s décor, with pink and teal and black-and-white checkerboard designs. Sam Facchini calls it Miami Vice. I think it looks like the opening credits of Saved by the Bell. Even funnier: They tried to change it.
“At the time we designed it, it was a very hot look,” Facchini says. “But after we opened the Tropicana location in 1999 with our new design, we thought we should repaint Metro West.” They did. Then they changed it back. “There was a lot of push back, and we understand where that comes from. People have a very possessive, nostalgic attachment to their pizzeria. There’s something very personal about it, and our customers didn’t want to see it changed.”
Tally me under possessive and nostalgic. And pass the pepperoni.
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