5 Dives: Pizza House

Adams say she’s been coming to Pizza House since she was about 12, and she immediately begins to tell us stories about owner Dorothy Smith – until Smith sits down with us to ensure her side of the story gets told.

“She was one of the first women to play professional baseball,” Adams says of the pizza chef. “She’s the original ‘league of their own.’”

Smith confirmed that she was part of the Rockford Peaches and played baseball in Chicago.

“I was 15,” she recalls. “They wouldn’t have taken me if they’d known. They thought I was 17. We were winners.”

Smith’s way to Springfield came via the Pizza House in Waynesville.

“I got out of the Air Force and visited my mother. She sent me to pick up a pizza, and the owner asked me if I needed a job,” she reminisces. “That was 1957; I started work the next day.”

She later married the owner, and they opened Pizza House restaurants in Rolla and St. Roberts.

“I told him, ‘Let’s go to Springfield,’” she says. “There won’t be any traffic, and I’ll never have to see another customer!”

When Smith found the location, in a small strip mall on South Glenstone, her husband told her, “It’s kind of back in the corner, isn’t it?” Her reply: “Yes.”

Customers find it anyway, without advertising. “I tried radio one time,” says Smith. “The old KICK ran an ad that called me Italian. I’m an American Indian. It’s not an Italian restaurant. Everything is made according to the first recipe my husband told me. I’ve never changed anything.” She points to her lips and says, “It’s word of mouth. If you have a great product, nothing else matters.”

During the years, Smith has shaped more than pizza dough. “She helped raise every one of us,” says Adams, who grew up in the neighborhood. “Dorothy knew where all the kids were.”

Adams always orders the deluxe and a salad with French dressing. “Best pizza in town,” she says. “You just hope you can get a table when you walk in. If not, it’s so good you just take it to go.”

Although Pizza House is open for lunch, you won’t find Smith there then. “I’ve put in my hours,” she says. “At one time, we were open six days a week, until 1:30 a.m. I got down to 97 pounds, and we decided that had to stop.”

Now Pizza House has limited hours with no delivery.

When asked what makes the pizza so good, Smith says, “Everything is fresh,” adding, with a grin, “And because I make it.”

Her personal favorite pizza is topped with onions and green peppers. We go for the sausage and pepperoni, and eat every crunchy bite. Smith gestures to the middle section, without crust, and says, “I always want to share with someone who wants the middle. The edges are the best.”

Pizza House offers a lunchtime special for two: a 13-inch, one-topping pizza, two salads and two drinks for $13. Or go for dinner. You never know who you’ll meet.

Pizza House

Address: 1349 S. Glenstone Ave.

Phone: (417) 881-4073

Hours: 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 5–8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 4–8 p.m. Saturday

Known for: Crispy thin-crust pizza

Seating: Green vinyl booths and tables; three bar stools

Décor: Paintings and photographs contributed by friends through the years

Clientele: Anyone who can find their way

Dress: Anything goes

Payment: Cash only

Paul K. Logsdon is director of public relations and publications for Evangel University, and Kay Logsdon is director of the Food Channel for Noble. They have written restaurant reviews for 25 years.[[In-content Ad]]