Dinner Break! Godfather's Pizza, Fridley, MN

This simple unassuming vacant retail building used to be part of the dying chain known as Godfather's Pizza.

Godfather's closed this location in the Summer of 2010. I lived in Denver then, but would keep an eye on it every time I came back to Minnesota. Assuming they'd leased the building, it didn't take long for it to lose the identifying features of a dead pizza place. By the time I got around to taking these pictures, all traces of Godfather's had long been removed.

Here's what the sign would have looked like it I'd photographed it a decade earlier...

Fun Fact: I have never eaten Godfather's Pizza...

Back in 2001, the good Doktor lived in the perpetually scuzzy Northtown Apartments, across University Avenue from the then open Godfather's Pizza. His then-girlfriend worked at the Godfather's, and quite often would bring pizza home after work.

From 1999 through 2002, I drove from Denver to Minneapolis around X-messtime to visit family and hang out with friends for as long as money would allow. These vacations featured a lot of time spent  at other peoples houses or apartments, heavy drinking and smoking were typically involved. That's what you do when you're 25 and directionless. But a good time was had by all!

Unless you were being made an ass of...

Never mind...

When I announced my December 2001 trip to Minnesota, the good Doktor prescribed a bunch of hangin at the Northtown Apartments. Headlined by the cheapest imported mind eraser, free-flowing Miller High Life and all the Godfather's Pizza I wanted. He'd take some time off work and it would rooool! I would finally get to try Godfather's Pizza, while we watched Weird Al videos drank heavily and philosophized about life for a week or two.

Sure enough, a week before I drove to Minnesota, Cunty McTwatfeathers gets fired from her job at Godfather's Pizza. Likely for theft, skipping work or meth... Ruining the free pizza part of our schedule. We still did everything else that we'd planned, there was just no free pizza available.

And I still feel cheated.

After putting it off for years, on November 3, 2017, I finally pulled off University Ave and into the Godfather's parking lot. With hopes there would be something cool left behind, and take a few pictures of the property. Though, there wasn't much to see anymore.

But I do like the appearance of the trees being bent, from trimming to avoid the overhead power lines.

The building's only label scar comes from the long removed awning. As seen in the first picture, the pole sign at the corner of the lot, had been stripped to it's skeleton years ago.

As I was researching this particular Godfather's Pizza, I stumbled into a couple of amusing stories in City Pages and the Pioneer Press. I'll summarize...

October 25, 2010 - Fridley police responded to a robbery at the former Godfather's Pizza. Two men told police that they met a man who had posted a Craigslist ad for cash-only sale of commercial pizza ovens. He had a key to get inside so they could look at the equipment. They show up, decide to buy the ovens and give him $6,400. Guy leaves.

The next day they go back to pick to pick up the ovens. The building's property manager catches them and called police. Who show up to figure out what happened.

In a statement from the Fridley police, the scam was explained as follows:

The suspect broke into the Godfathers Pizza on University Avenue (which had been vacant for three to four months), changed the locks on the door, and put an ad up on Craigslist to sell the pizza ovens he didn't own. He met the buyers, completed the sale for $6,400 in cash, and disappeared. The next day, the property manager noticed movers in the process of removing the pizza ovens and called the cops. The phone number associated with the ad was for a throw-away cell, the computer's IP address was fake (it traced back to a cemetery in Los Angeles). This guy went through great lengths to cover his tracks, Fridley police Lt. Mike Monsrud said.

Our unfortunate ripped-off buyers gave a description of the guy responsible. He told them his name was "Gary" and that he had brown hair and wore glasses.

I've not found any updates to the story, so I have no idea if Gary was ever caught, or if the two ripped-off buyers got any justice. A $6,400 loss would cripple any start-up business.

That's just cruel...

When I took these pictures, the Godfather's Pizza was completely cleaned out. This permit was posted, but the work had been pretty much finished. The inside was completely cleared to the bare walls and ceiling.

Only 3 toilets remained inside...

I did see that the building sold for $315,000 on May 21, 2019. As of today, Godfathers still looks exactly like this. Other than the weeds in the parking lot cracks are a bit taller... But there is again reason to watch the building, and see what changes are made to it for it's new tenant.

All the years of hearing people talk about Godfather's Pizza product, I found that just like most places, some people love it, some people hate it, and a far greater number are indifferent. A spectrum really, but after enough information, you get a pretty good idea of if it's for you. In Godfather's case, the scale tilted toward indifference for me. There have always been other choices that are closer when I want a good pizza, man.

Want to buy a toilet?