Philomena Pizza, an Oakland pizzeria that was on the brink of closure, is staying in business after asking for community assistance. The restaurant opened in 2016 and has faced challenges with the inflation of food costs over the years.
In a plea to their customers, known as the “Philomena Phamily,” the restaurant asked for help to keep their doors open. The community responded positively to the call to action, showing their support for the pizzeria.
Philomena Pizza expressed gratitude to their customers in an Instagram post, recognizing the community’s role in keeping them in business. They thanked both long-time customers and newer neighbors for their ongoing support, emphasizing that community is what has kept them going.
To keep its doors open, Philomena Pizza asked its customers to take several actions. These included dining in, ordering directly from the restaurant, purchasing gift cards, celebrating events or ordering catering from the restaurant, ordering from their new location at 5333 Adeline Street and completing a survey. The new location doesn’t have a dining room like the original one at 1801 14th Avenue. Despite facing challenges with food cost inflation over the years, Philomena remains open thanks to the support of its community and customers.