About Me-n-Ed’s Pizza Parlors
The pizza world has never been the same since the first Me-n-Ed oven was fired up in Sacramento, California, in 1958. Russ “Me” Johnson and Ed Sandlin didn’t set out to build a pizza parlor empire – it just happened.
Today, the Me-n-Ed’s name is synonymous with perfectly crafted pizza, topped with quality fresh ingredients and a blend of six real cheeses, and served in family-owned restaurants – the same way we started, in 1969!
While expanding into Fresno, Russ and Ed met Ben and Marcella Watters who quickly became known for their frequent visits to Me-n-Ed’s.
As the story goes, during one particular visit, a potted plant in the restaurant caught Marcella’s eye. She had to have it. When the owner refused to sell it to her, Marcella bought the entire restaurant. The plant was hers…along with the franchise rights to Me-n-Ed’s.
Marcella and Ben moved the restaurant from the original Fresno location to a new site on Blackstone Avenue and joined forces with Bob Cox, who worked with a local baker to perfect a recipe for Me-n-Ed’s signature thin crust pizza dough, which has since become the stuff of legends.
Through the mid-1960s, the Me-n-Ed’s name continued to expand, with a reputation for making some of the best pizza west of the Mississippi. In the summer of ’62, Doug Price (Marcella’s 15-year-old nephew) ventured to Fresno from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, to soak up the California sun and work at Me-n-Ed’s.
By the time Doug graduated three years later, he followed his Aunt Marcella and Uncle Ben to Orange County and he ended up where he really belonged – working for the family business, Me-n-Ed’s.
The Watters continued the Me-n-Ed’s expansion into Santa Ana, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Long Beach. Then, in 1969, the Watters brought the Me-n-Ed’s name north of the border to Burnaby, where the first Me-n-Ed’s in Canada opened that summer – managed by 21-year-old co-owner Doug Price.
Before long, the Burnaby Me-n-Ed’s had become a community fixture – albeit more of a pub than a restaurant. Customers would line up to listen to a honky-tonk piano and savour Me-n-Ed’s now-famous pizza along with a cold beer. As other neighbourhood pubs began popping up through the years, the Me-n-Ed’s atmosphere shifted to one of family, where it remains.
Even now, over 50 years since Me-n-Ed’s first came to Canada, you’ll still find that same cozy, neighbourly feel that put us on the map – whether you’re visiting a Me-n-Ed’s in Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge or Langley.
Always Fresh.
Me-n-Ed’s success is 100% thanks to our loyal customers and the staff who still make our signature dough from scratch every morning – pressed 100 times in custom-made rollers and shaped by hand for a light and crispy taste that’s had families coming back for generations.
Me-n-Ed’s has always been about community, and we’re proud to support many causes that make a difference – from youth sports teams and schools to charitable organizations and more. We’re happy to give back to the communities who’ve made us everything we are.
Real pizza made with real love. That’s Me-n-Ed’s.
