A pizza shop that has fed Covington families for 50 years is closing for good. The Pizza Man, known for the glass-walled kitchen window where generations of kids watched their pies get made, closed temporarily in fall 2026, and its owners have now announced that closure will become permanent.
The shutdown marks the end of an era for the Collins Boulevard institution, according to NOLA.com. The restaurant's owners described their next steps simply as “the page for new adventures,” and they are now seeking someone to take over the restaurant space, which is being pitched as a ready-made “turnkey operation,” per a flyer cited in the report.
The Pizza Man traces back to 1976, when founders first opened their pizza place on Boston Street near Vermont Street, according to tammanyfamily.blogspot.com. The business relocated to Collins Boulevard in 1990, settling into the address customers have known ever since: 1248 N. Collins Blvd.
A Multigenerational Family Operation
By the time of its closing, the shop had become a third-generation family business, with dough, sausage and meatballs all made in-house, the same blog account notes. Co-owner Dustin Schrems had described watching the restaurant's youngest fans grow up and return as parents themselves, bringing their own children to press their faces against that same kitchen glass.
That glass wall and its built-in step for small children became the restaurant's signature feature, letting generations of kids watch pizzas being made up close. Food writer Ian McNulty recalled that pizza makers, including Schrems and his father Paul, would sometimes tease the watching kids by tossing a burst of flour onto the glass during a previous visit, a playful ritual documented by nomenu.com.
A Gathering Spot For Teams And Families
Beyond the kitchen show, the restaurant became a staple for youth sports teams after games and for families meeting up after school events, turning routine pizza nights into a community ritual that outlasted a generation of Covington kids growing into parents themselves.
Longtime customers have been sharing their memories as word of the closure spread. Kevin Vogeltanz commented, “God bless you, Mr. Pizza Man! So long and thanks for all the pizza and great memories!! Best pizza around, hands down!” Emily Boman recalled that her order, extra, extra garlic on an artichoke salad, became so familiar to staff that it earned its own nickname, the “Emily Salad.” “I'll definitely miss you guys,” Boman said.
With the space now being marketed to a potential new operator, the future of 1248 N. Collins Blvd. remains unwritten. But for fifty years, it was the place where Covington families watched their pizzas rise behind glass, and where sports teams and school crowds alike found a familiar seat at the table.
