A nostalgic pizza place many remember is opening a new outpost in the Charlotte area
If you’ve been in Charlotte or Rock Hill long enough, you probably remember Godfather’s Pizza. If not, you’ll be able to try it soon in Fort Mill.
A Godfather’s Pizza Express will open by the end of October in Love’s Travel Plaza at 135 Sutton Ridge Lane. The pizza restaurant that hit its heydays in the 1970s and ‘80s will replace the Chester’s chicken restaurant as part of a plaza-wide remodel.
“The store is going to be 100% remodeled,” general manager Jeff Koisa said. “It’s going to be a brand new building on the inside.”
That means upgrades for the travel area and the Subway restaurant. Love’s remains open as that work is happening. Godfather’s and Subway will be right beside one another and share inside seating.
An online list of Godfather’s locations in Love’s Travel Centers includes more than 170 locations — largely in Oklahoma or Texas. The only South Carolina site is in Orangeburg. North Carolina’s two listed sites are in Marion and Mebane.
A Godfather’s opened in Charlotte two years ago, and it had to temporarily close multiple times on opening day due to high demand, according to the Charlotte Observer.
In Fort Mill, traffic could come from the opposite direction.
Godfather’s had a location for many years, though not recently, in the NorthEast Plaza shopping center off Cherry Road in Rock Hill. That’s where the Adventure Air Sports trampoline park, NC Noodle Bar and the Bajo Cero San Marcos ice cream shop are now. It also still has a pizza presence: Luigi & Sons Italian restaurant still operates in the former Godfather’s space, just a short walk from Mario’s Pizza.
A private Rock Hill group on Facebook dedicated to food and the restaurant industry quickly took to the sight of signs going up at Love’s for the new Godfather’s.
“Core memory unlocked,” commented Jeremy Shaw. “I can smell the 1980s!”
Godfather’s is based in Omaha, Nebraska. Dine-in, carryout and delivery options vary, according to the company website. There are both traditional restaurants and the express versions that have mini (four slices) or large (10 slices) pizzas in traditional or thin crusts. Other items include pizza rolls, cinnamon struesel and even breakfast pizza.
The Love’s site in Fort Mill is right beside the Sutton Road exit on Interstate 77, between Rock Hill and Charlotte. It’s the closest Fort Mill exit to the Catawba River, just two miles north of the former Godfather’s location in Rock Hill.
Godfather’s Pizza
Location: 135 Sutton Ridge Lane, Fort Mill, SC 29708
Location: 3020 Prosperity Church Rd F, Charlotte, NC 28269
Instagram: @godfatherspizza
