Capo’s Pizza

Capo’s Pizza: A Slice of History

Capo’s Pizza opened at Geneva-on-the-Lake on July 4, 1965—the same day as the infamous “riots.” The idea to open a shop on The Strip came unexpectedly. Frank Sr. and Mary Ann Capo had been heading for Conneaut Lake Park, Pennsylvania, on Memorial Day 1965, when a wrong turn brought them to Geneva-on-the-Lake. Impressed by the crowds and lively atmosphere, Frank began exploring the possibility of a pizza stand.

Their first shop rented a lot roughly across from their present location. Pizza slices sold for 45 cents each, and business was thriving—until the riot reached the area, forcing police to tell all vendors to close and go home.

Despite the rocky start, the Capos persevered. They returned throughout the summer, operating out of The Barn for several years. In 1970, after that location changed ownership, they partnered with Martha Woodward to open at their current spot on the corner of New Street and The Strip.

A Heritage of Great Pizza

Pizza making runs deep in the Capo family. Before opening their New Brighton, Pennsylvania, shop on Route 18, Frank and Mary Ann operated Pizza Oven in Hornell, New York—Mary Ann’s hometown—from 1959 to 1961.

In the early 1950s, the Capos lived in Hollywood, California, where Frank ran a pizza shop across from a television studio. He often regaled Geneva-on-the-Lake visitors with stories from those days. Alex Zimmerman recalls Frank claiming he appeared in an “I Love Lucy” episode—helping Lucy learn to toss pizza dough—and served as a technical advisor on set.

Today, Frank and Mary Ann’s son Tony and his wife Pam run both the Geneva-on-the-Lake and West Main Street, Geneva, shops, assisted by their son Tony Jr.

Capo’s Pizza: 50 Years on The Strip

Tony attributes the success of Capo’s pizza to simplicity and consistency. The recipe has remained unchanged since his Father’s Day, using just a few high-quality ingredients. Pizzas are baked on stones in a hearth oven, a practice only about 10 percent of local pizza shops still follow.

The family also opened the East Main Street, Geneva location in February 1977, with an expanded menu that includes subs. Visitors may notice a mural of the Isle of Capri on the building—a replica of a painting that once hung in the family’s Capo’s Villa on New Street, Geneva-on-the-Lake. Capo’s Villa operated during the summers from the late 1960s to early 1970s; Tony notes that the 1965 riots contributed to a decline in Strip business and influenced the restaurant’s eventual closure.