Whenever one of my out-of-state siblings visits me here in Vermilion, there's always one thing they'd like to experience during their visit: a
Yala's Pizza.
Yeah, I know. It's now called Fran's Pizza. But despite the name change, it pretty much tastes the same as it always did to my siblings and me. We should know – we had it every Friday for years during the 1970s.
Anyway, it's fun to look back at the early days of the pizzeria and how it was advertised.
Above you see what is probably one of the very first ads for Yala's that ran in the Lorain Journal. It appeared on December 29, 1956. Note that it mentions, "Watch for Our Grand Opening."
Then, in January this tiny teaser ad (about an inch or two wide) ran several times.
Finally, the 'Grand Opening' ad ran on January 23, 1957.
A week later, this ad ran on January 30, 1957. It's interesting because it lists the names of the people behind the pizza:
Mrs. Yala Armelie and
Marian Fuervando.
Then about a week later on Feb. 6, 1957, this ad ran – adding the name of
Jay Telloni to the list of 'food experts.'
And as a reminder that Yala's served more than just pizza, this ad ran on Feb. 22, 1957.
One aspect of early Yala's advertising that has always interested me is the mention in its ads of "wonder dough." It's front and center in this ad from March 28, 1957.
Promoting 'Wonder Dough" must have worked, as it was still being mentioned in ads two years later. Here's an ad that ran in the
Journal on July 18, 1959.
It's interesting that the ad boasts "Lorain's Most Popular Pizza – 1954-1959." There really weren't too many pizza places in Lorain in 1954. A look at online Journals from that year reveals that with the exception of Lusca's and Capy's, pizza was mainly a novelty item offered at established restaurants like Vian's Barbecue and the Showboat.
Anyway, one factor that contributed to Yala's early success was its regular ads in the Journal. They were often very small, like the trio of ads below that ran in the fall of 1960, but they seemed to run almost every day.
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| Sept. 27, 1960 |
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| Nov. 1, 1960 |
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| Nov. 24, 1960 |
At some point around early 1961, however, Yala's must have determined that it was popular enough that it didn't need to run so many ads. Its sponsorship of various sports teams kept its name in the paper regularly. Here's one of the last ads for the pizzeria that I could find from the 1960s.
11 comments:
I love trying out various pizzas.Mainly from local mom and pop pizza joints as I like to support local businesses.But they must be priced accordingly.And I do like Pizza Hut out of all the national chains.Lately I haven't gotten any Yalas or especially Elisios pizza.And cost is the number one factor.Last time I got an Elisios it was $18.50 for a large pepperoni pizza.And they have ever so slowly been raising the prices.A few years ago it was $15.00.Then $16.25.Then $16.75.Then $17.50.A year ago it was $18.50.I haven't been back since.It's probably $20.00 or $21.00 nowadays.People used to be lined up around the block on Friday nights to get a Yalas/Frans/Elisio.But not anymore.You can drive by on a Friday night now and there won't be a single car at the drive thru window.People will only go do far,I mean it's nothing but a pizza.So Pizza Hut it has been for me.Especially when you can get a large pepperoni for $9.99 all day long.
Eastside. Granny-D's. They had great pizza.
Urs.Granny Ds was good.Too bad about that murder scene.
So... One wonders... Is the Wonder Dough a wonder?
Yala's/Frans's/Eliseo's are all mediocre at best. Half the time the Eliseo's pizza is burned up. They ruined it when they merged both pizza shops into one kitchen. Yes, i agree they are also the most expensive pizza place around as well. Granny D's was good and Eliseo's on the eastside was fantastic, but Rosie's is the best pizza in Lorain today with Selenti's right behind them. Lorenzo's has been a nice addition to the local pizza options as well.
Lorenzo's pizza sauce is a touch too sweet for my taste. You know you've caved (like I have) when you prefer DiGiorno's forzen to most others.
Lately I've been making a pizza of my own.I get a pizza crust and some pepperoni from Gust Gallucci's Italian Store in Cleveland and just add a can of sauce from any various brands plus cheese and voilà,a large pizza for $10.00.
Graduated LHS 1964 and the go-to place for pizza after dances, ball games, etc was always Yala's. A medium pepperoni pizza was $1.00. Still one of the best pizzas in memory
Best Pizza in Lorain is Giovanni’s on the southside
Giovanni's is like eating an entire loaf of bread with every slice. Heaviest pizza I've ever had for sure.
My Sicilian mother made all our pizzas so we had no reason to get any from Yalas or any other Lorain pizzeria. When I left home I did the same. Until, that is, after I moved to NYC. The city has so many delicious pizzerias that I had no need to spend hours making my own. Mangia!
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