Circle Inn Pizzeria Re-Opens After Devastating Fire

Circle Inn Pizzeria in Sunset was one of Northern Utah’s oldest pizza restaurants when it burned to the ground on Jan. 1, 2022. The Schroeder family, owners since 1957, were even more disheartened to discover they were couldn’t afford to rebuild — at least, not yet.

Instead, they re-opened in Clearfield, about three miles away from the original site. Although the Sunset location housed both a bar and a pizzeria, the new Circle Inn is doing OK with just the pizza business. There are several tables for dine-in, but today’s Circle Inn clientele is mostly takeout.

“Before, we had tons of dine-in, because most of our business was people coming in and having a couple of drinks and a pizza,” said Garrett Schroeder. “We were worried about opening the pizza place without the bar. But we decided to take that chance, and the community support was amazing. It was crazy when we opened — lines out the door.”

I recently interviewed Garrett Schroeder and his mother, Exie Shroeder, for a Standard-Examiner story.

“The fire was devastating for all of us — so many memories for our family and our customers,” said Exie Schroeder, who has been part of the Circle Inn for 47 years. First it was owned by her father-in-law, Marion Schroeder, and then by her late husband, John. Now, her son, Garrett runs the new location, with Exie, his wife, Chantil, and his three sons.

Some history:

   The Circle Inn (before it was owned by the Schroeder family) first opened in 1941 at 2253 N. Main in Sunset. Garrett has a copy of a news clipping announcing the new lunch and tea room, initially opened by Mr. and Mrs. James Morby.

  Garrett’s grandfather, Marion Shroeder, came to Utah from Joliet, Ill., to work for Defense Depot Ogden. In the early 1950s, he opened The Pizzeria in Roy, maybe thinking of the Chicago-style pizzas he had enjoyed back home.

Although the Schroeders don’t claim to be the first pizza in Northern Utah, it’s one of the oldest that’s still in business.

  “The dates are hard to nail down, but I believe it was around 1954,” said Garrett Schroeder. “By 1957, he had moved to the Circle Inn in Sunset and took over the whole building.”

   Pizza wasn’t always as America as burgers and hot dogs. According to food historians, “pizza pie” was mainly confined to Italian-American neighborhoods before World War II. When U.S. soldiers stationed in Italy came home with a taste for the food they had enjoyed overseas, local pizza parlors began springing up across America.

  When I did a story on Tony’s Pizza, I did a bit of research into some of Northern Utah’s early pizza pioneers.

A 1957 Standard-Examiner ad touts pizza at Rigo’s Restaurant in Ogden, which is long gone.

Tony’s Pizza, still in business in Ogden, opened in 1963, although Tony Toscan’s daughter recently sold the business to new owners.

In Logan, Fredrico’s opened in 1958. Further south, Heaps A Pizza, forerunner to Brick Oven, opened in Provo in 1956. In Salt Lake City, old-timers might remember Cinegrill, der Ratskeller, and Gepetto’s, which have all since closed.

Circle Inn even pre-dates the big pizza chains — Little Caesars was founded in in 1957, Pizza Hut in 1958, and Domino’s in 1960.

  Today, Circle Inn uses Marion Schroeder’s same dough recipe.

   “Our sauces, salad dressing and salsa are all homemade,” Garrett Schroeder said.

   At Circle Inn, the toppings are usually baked underneath the cheese, rather than on top. 

“That’s what makes us unique,” said Garrett Schroeder. “It’s the way my grandfather did it. I think it’s a Chicago thing. If they request pepperoni on top, I’ll do it. But to me, it doesn’t work the same, the cheese doesn’t melt right.”

Jan. 1, 2022, was a slow day at Circle Inn’s pizzeria and bar, and both closed early. The fire started about about 11 p.m., after staff had gone home. Garrett said investigators narrowed down the fire’s cause as somewhere between the pizza oven and the wall.

 The Schroeders hoped to rebuild on the same Main Street spot, but they discovered the damages were around $2 million, and their insurance paid out only about $660,000.

“We were under-insured by about $1.4 million. The building was so old that the clean-up was not cheap,” said Garrett.

  Several local bars and pizzerias showed support with fundraisers. “Kamikazes, The Outlaw Saloon, Golden Beverage, Do Drop Inn, US Foods, The Grinders Poker Tour and Taboo Pizza all played roles in helping us in a time of need,” said Garrett.

With the daunting financial reality, family members thought about giving up on the restaurant and finding other livelihoods.

  “But, this is what we do,” said Garrett. “We decided to dump everything we had into this new place.”