The history of Mother's Pizza restaurants in Ontario

The history of Mother's Pizza Parlour and Spaghetti House will dredge up nostalgic memories of nights out from yesteryear, but it's one Ontario pizza joint that did not quite stand the test of time.

Affectionately known as just "Mother's" by most, the chain was founded in Hamilton in 1970 by Grey Sisson, Ken Fowler, and Pat Mara.

Designed as a no-frills, family-style restaurant, the chain quickly skyrocketed in popularity thanks to its comforting atmosphere and straightforward menu full of cheesy pizzas, pasta, and homestyle meals, and low prices.

Within a month of opening the restaurant, the Hamilton Spectator named Mother's one of the city's top ten restaurants. Part of the chain's appeal was its signature look, which included Tiffany lamps, red and white checkered tablecloths, antique furniture, and framed newspapers. Silent movies often played on screen, music filled the background, and servers wore old-fashioned uniforms.

Photo: Mother's Pizza.

By the mid-1970s, the chain rapidly expanded to over a dozen locations across nine Ontario municipalities, including outlets in the GTA. At its peak, the chain expanded to over 120 franchised restaurants across Canada and the U.S., and even established a presence across the pond, in the U.K.

In addition to the pizza and spaghetti you'd expect from the restaurant's name, the menu also featured other dishes like salads, sub sandwiches, and desserts that carried the Italian-Canadian theme to the next course, like spumoni ice cream. The chain prided itself on quality, claiming that all the food was freshly prepared and nothing (aside from the ice cream, of course) was ever frozen.

Photo: Mother's Pizza.

If you were dining out on a budget, you probably made use of the chain's weekly promotions like "Noodle Night," which offered a massive plate of spaghetti for, get this, just 99 cents with free second helpings, while "Father's Night" offered a three-item pizza for only $2.49.

The chain's popularity was also aided by a stamp of approval from a Hollywood celebrity. Actor Dennis Weaver served as the company's spokesperson in TV commercials.

However, as most stories go, Mother's Pizza's success was relatively short-lived. In 1987, the chain was sold to Bayswater Partnership, and former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Ernie Whitt, along with teammate Lloyd Moseby and coach Cito Gaston, also invested in the company.

Despite efforts to keep the chain alive, the company went into receivership in 1989 and was purchased by Little Caesars. Unfortunately, most of Mother's locations were either converted or closed by the early 1990s.

Thanks to its dedicated fans, the brand briefly re-emerged in the 2010s when investors opened restaurants in Hamilton, Brantford, Kitchener, and Waterloo, although those locations also closed after a few years.

Fast forward to 2020, brand revivalist Brian Alger, who had previously relaunched The Pop Shoppe, set out to bring the brand back to life. Using original recipes, the company now produces a line of make-at-home items such as pepperoni Stromboli, pizza dough mix, cookie dough, garlic knots, and frozen naan balls.

Photo: Mother's Pizza.

Grey Sisson, one of the founders, remains active in the restaurant industry as vice-chairman of SIR Corp, which operates chains like Jack Astor’s and Scaddabush.

Although Mother's no longer operates its nostalgic sit-down restaurants, its name likely still sparks a memory for those who dined out in Ontario during the 1970s and 1980s.