Rocky Rococo

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Revision as of 07:11, 22 October 2026 by Jacques (talk | contribs) (Add the 2000–2004 years from the newspaper research recorded in the database; earlier text kept)

Rocky Rococo is a pizza chain established in Madison in 1974. It is known for its unique pan-style pizza, sauce, the flamboyant and comical figurehead bearing its namesake, and sells pizza both by the slice and whole pies.

Origin

The original Rocky Rococo was located in downtown Madison, at 411 W. Gilman St., just off State Street. It opened on April 4, 1974[1].

The founders, Wayne Mosley and Roger Brown, were both from the Chicago area and met at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana[2]. Brown had worked there at Garcia's Pizza in a Pan, which sold pizza by the slice; Mosley was a law student and a customer[3]. They thought there was a market for pan-style pizza, which was popular in Chicago but little known elsewhere, and that a university town was the place to start. In 1973 they visited each city with a Big Ten university and settled on Madison, because it was close to home and had many students from Chicago[1].

The building on Gilman Street had been Brown's Restaurant, which closed on March 16, 1974, after 36 years. The newspaper noted the coincidence that one of the new proprietors was named Brown[4]. Mosley and Brown bought it with a bank loan[1]; a later account has them starting "with $15,000 and a beat-up pickup truck"[5]. Mosley remembered sitting outside that first summer asking passersby to come in. Business picked up when university classes began in the fall[1].

The name came from a song on a record album popular at the time[1].

History

Growth

A second restaurant opened in the summer of 1975 at State and Lake streets (651 State St.), and two more within the next six months[1]. An advertisement in August 1978 listed five restaurants in the Madison area[6]. The first restaurant outside Madison, in La Crosse, followed by about 1979[2].

By April 1982 there were 11 restaurants (six in Madison, two in La Crosse and three in Minneapolis) with 350 employees, and the company expected sales of about $6 million that year. Its headquarters was at 333 W. Mifflin St. It was about to start selling franchises, beginning with Milwaukee[1]. The company sold franchises for whole television markets rather than single restaurants, so that advertising would pay. By February 1985 there were 43 restaurants in four states[5].

Sale of the company

Public Storage Inc., a real estate company in Glendale, California, took a stake in 1986. In January 1988 Mosley and Brown sold their 70 percent of Rocky Rococo Corp. to senior executives of Public Storage. In exchange they were given control of the 10 restaurants in Madison, which had about 500 employees, and three in La Crosse. The corporation's headquarters, with about 45 employees, was then at 340 W. Washington Ave., and its president was Thomas Hester[7]. A later account describes the buyers as the founders' minority partners, Hester and his family[3]. The corporation later moved to Oconomowoc[8].

The chain had grown to 120 restaurants by 1988[9]. Brown later put the peak at 125, "from Spokane, Washington, to Puerto Rico"[3].

The founders' restaurants

Mosley and Brown continued as franchisees of the company they had founded, under the name First Madco. They had 17 restaurants in 1992[9], 15 in 1997[10], 12 "mostly in the Madison area" in 2006[11], and 11 in 2009, of which eight were in Madison[8]. The city's licence list of May 2000 carried seven First Madco stores (1618 W. Beltline Hwy., 4556 Monona Dr., 3001 N. Sherman Ave., 7952 Tree Lane, 206 Westgate Mall, 1753 Thierer Rd. and 1301 Regent St.)[12], and the company's own web list of December 2000 added 2620 Allen Blvd. in Middleton[13]. In August 2001 First Madco was hiring for "our new restaurant in the Hilldale Mall", 702 N. Midvale Blvd., "in the back by Quizno's Subs"[14]; Hilldale was on the licence list by May 2002, when the Madison stores numbered eight[15], and the Allen Boulevard store was gone from the web list by that December[16]. In 2002 the Tree Lane and Thierer Road restaurants were advertised as "Party Pizzeria West" and "Party Pizzeria East", each with a 35-game Pizza & Play family fun center[17]. The city's licence lists of 2005 to 2007 carried First Madco's eight Madison stores: 1618 W. Beltline Hwy., 4556 Monona Dr., 3001 N. Sherman Ave., 7952 Tree Ln., 206 Westgate Mall, 1301 Regent St., 1753 Thierer Rd. and 702 N. Midvale Blvd.[18][19] In January 2009, in what Brown called a tough year, the 11 restaurants had 300 employees and about $10 million in revenue; the founders had sold the corporation in 1988 to their partner Wayne Hughes, who "closed 40 restaurants in one day", and the party pizzerias on the Far West Side (1992) and Far East Side (2000) were the biggest stores[8]. The 2008 State Journal history of Madison pizza said the franchise had more than 50 stores, including the founders' 12[20].

For the 30th anniversary, on April 4, 2004, Doug Moe retold the founding with Mosley: the partners had met at the University of Illinois, Brown had worked at Garcia's, a Champaign pan-pizza place, and had taken notes on his boss's time; they chose Madison over East Lansing, bought Brown's Diner on Gilman Street from Orv Erickson and Darrell Cook, and nearly called the place The Pizza Factory before settling on the name of a Firesign Theatre character. "Madison hadn't had pizza by the slice before." After the Oscar Mayer partnership and territory franchising the company had "anticipated 700 stores by 1990"; a Chicago ad agency even suggested dropping the Rocky character. In 2004 there were 45 Rockys, of which Mosley and Brown had eight in Madison, three in La Crosse and one in Wisconsin Dells[21]. That July Rocky Rococo Corp. of Oconomowoc, with Tom Hester as president, had 38 pizzerias and was adding four, experimenting with sandwich and taco franchises inside them[22].

On March 25, 2010, Rocky Rococo Corp. sued First Madco in Waukesha County for a declaration on whether the renewed franchise agreements still carried First Madco's exclusive territory of Dane, Columbia, Iowa, Lafayette, Marquette, Richland, Sauk and Juneau counties. First Madco had been spun off in 1987 with nine franchised restaurants in return for stock in the corporation. "A dispute among friends", Brown called it; the chain then had 38 Wisconsin restaurants and one each in Minnesota, Washington and Kentucky[23]. First Madco's advertisements of the time said "Only at Rocky's in Madison" and offered a free Sunday State Journal with any whole pizza on football Sundays[24][25].

In 2017 Brown closed the restaurant at Westgate Mall and the food court counters at West Towne Mall and in La Crosse, saying mall traffic was "way down". The large Party Pizzeria East at 1753 Thierer Rd. closed on May 13, 2018, after 18 years there; Rocky's had then been on East Washington for 38 years. The chain as a whole had 39 locations, with headquarters in Oconomowoc and Trey Hester as president[26][27].

Wayne Mosley died on November 28, 2017, at 70. His obituary retold the founding: he had started at Garcia's Pizza in a Pan in Champaign, the partners chose Madison over East Lansing, and they almost called the chain "The Pizza Factory"[28].

From about 2022 Brown sold his remaining restaurants to longtime managers. The last, on the Beltline, was sold on December 20, 2024. There were then 30 Rocky Rococo restaurants in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota, four of them in the Madison area[3].

Sauce

Rocky Rococo’s pizza sauce seems to be of the cooked variety, has an intense tomato flavor but also strong herb notes. It’s also a pizza sauce that is less sweet than others. The sauce is featured as the main condiment for the popular bread sticks.

The pizza sauce has become popular enough that it is retailed in grocery stores, sold in 15 oz jars.

Special Pizzas

  • The Mother Lode, a pan pizza with smoky mozzarella stuffed to the edge, was new in May 2000 and promoted on "World Tours" through 2002, when the restaurants also advertised a 32-item salad bar[29][30]. Other 2000 promotions were the Greatest Hits slices and the Rococo Mexicano World Tour with a Taco Rococo and a Fajita Steak pizza[31][32].
  • The Cheese Works — Rocky's secret sauce and a combination of Wisconsin cheeses — was what the Regent Street store sent the Daily Cardinal's 2003 pizza poll, with plates, mints and free breadsticks; the tasters found the dough oddly sweet and ranked it fourth of five[33].
Heart-shaped pizza

One of the busiest days of the year for Rocky Rococo is St. Valentine’s Day, where they feature a heart-shaped pizza for sale.

Trivia

  • Jim Pedersen, a psychotherapist and former Second City actor, has been the only person to play Rocky Rococo since 1975. The name came from the Firesign Theatre, which licensed it after the chain reached about 16 restaurants. His favourite pizza was the Rococo Chicago, the Thursday slice of the day, and his hangout the Party Pizzeria West[34].
  • In December 2009 the Regent Street store's Super Slice of the Day was Uncle Sal's Spectacular (sausage, pepperoni, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and oregano) at $3.99, and the vegetable slice the Garden of Eatin' at $2.99[35].
  • A kitchen fire in April 2007 damaged Yummy Buffet at 411 W. Gilman St., the first Rocky Rococo[36].
  • Brown said in 2024 that two things set Rocky's apart at the start: "selling pizza by the slice and using unusually good sausage". The sausage is hand-formed, with fennel seed, black pepper and garlic powder. He credits it to his wife, Patricia Charley, who worked at the original restaurant and was the company's quality control director in 1982[3][1].
  • Jim Pederson was the face of Rocky Rococo on television and its voice on radio for 40 years — many customers assumed he was the founder. He died suddenly on February 4, 2016, at 68, just before the Valentine's Day heart-pizza rush that was his signature event. The Rocky logo was drawn from a Dave Muldowney sketch in the Mad Magazine style, and the name came from a Firesign Theatre character[37][26].
  • In 2024 Sam Brown, Roger Brown's son and a vice president of the company, bought the Greenbush Bar[38].
  • A 2024 review of Fabiola's says Roger Brown and Pat Charley founded Rocky Rococo[39]; Brown's own account names Wayne Mosley as his co-founder[3].
  • Joe Brusca, who sold pizza supplies and ingredients around Madison for decades, said he sold the first case of cheese to the two men who planned to open Rocky Rococo's[40].
  • Craig Culver, co-founder of Culver's, once ran the Monona Drive restaurant for a year[3].
  • A joint venture with Oscar Mayer opened five restaurants in Minneapolis; it "didn't work out"[3].
  • The 1978 menu had thick crust in regular or whole wheat, a meatball sandwich, salad and "Mama's Lasagna"[6].
  • "The fact is, we were not hippies and we are not billionaires," Brown said in 1988[2]. In 1982 Mosley had said of the two of them in 1974, with shoulder-length hair and patched jeans: "Looking back, I'm surprised any bankers talked to us"[1].
  • Asked in 2004 whether there was an actual person named Rocky Rococo, Mosley said "Absolutely": a Madison resident who "once performed at The Second City", though evasive about his identity[41].
  • In the autumn of 2004 the Madison restaurants gave away a Sunday State Journal with a medium or large pizza on football Sundays, a promotion they repeated in later years[42].
  • Party Pizzeria East opened in 2000 in the former Sergio's nightclub after a $900,000 remodeling. It had video games and showed family movies[26].
  • The restaurant at 694 S. Whitney Way was robbed on the night of October 31, 1995, by three masked men who took about $900 and beat three employees. All three were convicted[43].
  • In 1999 Brown told a reporter that Madison was one of Pizza Hut's top markets in the country[44].

Locations

Restaurants in the Madison area, with the latest date each is known to have been open:

  • 1618 W. Beltline Hwy. (opened between June 1976 and May 1978; licensed in May 2026[45]).
  • 7952 Tree Lane, "Party Pizzeria West" (by 2009[46]; open in 2018[26]).
  • Monona Drive (4556 Monona Dr. by August 1978[6]; sold to its new owners in August 2024[3]).
  • 2828 Prairie Lakes Dr., Sun Prairie (opened April 2014[26]).

Former Locations

  • 411 W. Gilman St. (April 4, 1974; still licensed in May 1978[47]). The first restaurant.
  • 651 State St. (1975[48] to before September 2004[49]).
  • 694 S. Whitney Way, at Odana Road (by August 1978[6]; closed by July 9, 1997, when it moved across the street[10]).
  • Westgate Mall, in the former B. Dalton Bookseller space (July 9, 1997[10] to May 2017[26]).
  • 3730 University Ave. (closed by July 9, 1997[10]).
  • 4002 E. Washington Ave. (licensed in May 1980[50]).
  • 3001 N. Sherman Ave. (licensed 2000 to 2007[12][18][19]).
  • 2620 Allen Blvd., Middleton (on the company's web list from December 2000 to June 2002[13][51]; gone by December 2002[16]).
  • 702 N. Midvale Blvd., Hilldale (hiring for the new restaurant in August 2001[14]; licensed 2002 to 2007[15][18][19]).
  • Party Pizzeria East, Thierer Road near East Towne (2000 to May 13, 2018[26]). It replaced an earlier restaurant kitty-corner from it on East Washington Avenue.
  • West Towne Mall (licence applied for in May 1983[52]; the food court counter closed in 2017[26]).
  • Regent Street (licensed at 1301 Regent St. from 2000[12][18]; open in 2018, run by Sam Brown[26]). A directory lists it at 1301 Regent St. and marks it closed[53]. It closed in August 2022, and the Brown family opened Fabiola's, an Italian spaghetti house, in the space in 2023[54][38].

External links

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Martin, C. (1982, April 4). "Through pizza's thick and thin, Rocky Rococo Corp. pans out." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 32. Newspapers.com image 404415972.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Riddle, J. (1988, January 14). "Rocky Rococo founders reached their initial goal." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 13. Newspapers.com image 400698893.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Kalk Derby, S. (2024, December 27). "Roger Brown sells his last restaurant after co-founding the company in 1974." Wisconsin State Journal. p. A1, A6. Newspapers.com images 1153404253, 1153404263.
  4. ↑ LaBrasca, R. (1974, March 16). "Brown's Restaurant to Close Doors On 36 Years of Good Home Cookin'." The Capital Times. p. 9. Newspapers.com image 521389573.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Simms, P. (1985, February 3). "Where food is fast, so is the growth." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 117. Newspapers.com image 402044078.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 (1978, August 3). Rocky Rococo advertisement listing five restaurants. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 16. Newspapers.com image 400945917.
  7. ↑ Riddle, J. (1988, January 14). Founders sell their stake in Rocky Rococo (front page). Wisconsin State Journal. p. 1. Newspapers.com image 400698733.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Adams, B. (2009, January 4). "Rocky's weathering tough year in pizza trade." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 13. Newspapers.com image 407665809.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Riddle, J. (1992, February 27). "A big slice of success." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 39–40. Newspapers.com images 405799415, 405799421.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 (1997, July 9). "Rocky's pizza adds sites in Westgate, Baraboo." The Capital Times. p. 21. Newspapers.com image 523177023.
  11. ↑ (2006, September 13). Rocky Rococo help-wanted ad: "We own/operate 12 Rocky Rococos mostly in the Madison area. Call Wayne". The Capital Times. p. 27. Newspapers.com image 522452897.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 (2000, May 25). City of Madison licence renewal applications, 2000–01 (pages 12–13). The Capital Times. p. 12. Newspapers.com images 522191464, 522191464, 522191472.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Rocky Rococo's Locations (snapshot of Dec. 4, 2000)." rockyrococo.com. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 (2001, August 22). Rocky Rococo help-wanted advertisement for its new restaurant in Hilldale Mall. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 7. Newspapers.com image 407470258.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 (2002, May 21). City of Madison licence renewal applications, 2002–03 (pages 4–5). The Capital Times. p. 4. Newspapers.com images 526007657, 526007657, 526007659.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Rocky Rococo's Locations (snapshot of Dec. 9, 2002)." rockyrococo.com. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ (2002, August 8). Rocky Rococo advertisement: Pizza & Play family fun centers at the Party Pizzerias West and East. The Capital Times. p. 63. Newspapers.com image 522428536.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 (2005, May 23). City of Madison licence renewal list, May 2005 (continued): Casa Bianca, Pizza Pit, Pizzeria Uno, Glass Nickel, Pizza Di Roma, Urban Pizza Cafe. The Capital Times. p. 5. Newspapers.com image 525987738.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 (2007, May 28). City of Madison licence renewal list, May 2007: Rocky Rococo (8 stores), Cafe Porta Alba, Casa Bianca, Pizza Pit, Urban Pizza Cafe, Pizza Di Roma, Pizza Hut, Unos, Roman Candle. The Capital Times. p. 4. Newspapers.com image 529156052.
  20. ↑ Wegner, A. N. (2008, May 28). "Through thick and thin: Madison's pizzerias have come a long way from their humble start on Spaghetti Corner." madison.com.
  21. ↑ Moe, D. (2004, April 21). "Rocky Rococo's full circle at 30." The Capital Times. p. 2. Newspapers.com image 529143893.
  22. ↑ Stein, J. (2004, July 11). "Restaurant chains experiment with co-branding." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 5. Newspapers.com images 407772421, 407772319, 407772421.
  23. ↑ Treleven, E. (2010, April 8). "Rocky Rococo sues Madison franchisee." madison.com.
  24. ↑ (2010, May 13). Rocky Rococo advertisement: "Only at Rocky's in Madison, www.rockysmadison.com". The Capital Times. p. 7. Newspapers.com image 522589705.
  25. ↑ (2012, December 6). Rocky Rococo "Football Sundays" advertisement: a free Sunday State Journal with any whole pizza at Madison stores. The Capital Times. p. 26. Newspapers.com image 520750280.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 26.8 Kalk Derby, S. (2018, April 15). "Rocky Rococo leaves East Washington." Wisconsin State Journal. p. E5. Newspapers.com image 420480646.
  27. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2018, April 10). "Rocky Rococo leaves East Washington after almost 40 years." madison.com.
  28. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2017, November 30). "Wayne Mosley, who built Rocky Rococo pizza empire, dies at 70." madison.com.
  29. ↑ (2000, May 4). Rocky Rococo advertisement: the new Mother Lode pizza. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 60. Newspapers.com image 407392225.
  30. ↑ (2002, May 16). Rocky Rococo (32-item salad bar; Mother Lode World Tour) and Pizza Pit ('Over 50 Awards for Best Pizza') advertisements. The Capital Times. p. 63. Newspapers.com image 526007288.
  31. ↑ (2000, January 13). Rocky Rococo advertisement: 'Today's Greatest Hits' slices, World Tour line-up. The Capital Times. p. 52. Newspapers.com image 522005108.
  32. ↑ (2000, October 5). Rocky Rococo advertisement: Rococo Mexicano World Tour (Taco Rococo, Fajita Steak). The Capital Times. p. 61. Newspapers.com image 522647042.
  33. ↑ Capecchi, L. (2003, October 15). "Pizza poll delivers." The Daily Cardinal.
  34. ↑ Conklin, M. (2008, August 17). "Drinks with... Jim Pederson." madison.com.
  35. ↑ Dean, K. (2009, December 29). "Let's Eat for $7.70: Through thick or thin, pizza's a pleaser." madison.com.
  36. ↑ Hooker, D. (2007, April 14). "Restaurant fire injures worker." madison.com.
  37. ↑ Schultz, R. (2016, February 9). "Jim Pederson, the face and personality of Rocky Rococo Pizza for decades, dies." madison.com.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Kalk Derby, S. (2024, June 19). "Greenbush Bar in Madison being sold after 30 years." madison.com.
  39. ↑ (2024, May 1). Review of Fabiola's Spaghetti House and Deli, 1301 Regent St. The Capital Times. p. O34. Newspapers.com image 1072054064.
  40. ↑ Martell, C. (2010, March 28). "WWII soldiers made pizza a Madison staple." madison.com.
  41. ↑ (2004, April 12). "Just ask: Is there an actual person named Rocky Rococo?" Wisconsin State Journal. p. 1. Newspapers.com image 396488445.
  42. ↑ (2004, September 11). Rocky Rococo promotion: a free Sunday State Journal with a pizza on football Sundays. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 27. Newspapers.com image 406729569.
  43. ↑ Brixey, E. (1997, June 7). "Man sentenced for 1995 Rocky Rococo's robbery." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 5. Newspapers.com images 402454522, 402454145.
  44. ↑ Newman, J. (1999, August 6). "Pizza Pit files for Chapter 11 but will keep on rolling." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 1. Newspapers.com image 404009652.
  45. ↑ (2026, May 26). City of Madison licence list, May 2026. Wisconsin State Journal. p. B9.
  46. ↑ (2009, May 28). City of Madison licence list, May 2009. Wisconsin State Journal.
  47. ↑ (1978, May 24). City of Madison licence list, May 1978. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 55. Newspapers.com image 401232658.
  48. ↑ (1975, September 20). Licence recommended, Rocky Rococo, 651 State St. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 30.
  49. ↑ (2004, September 2). Moe's Southwest Grill plans to open at 651 State St. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 63.
  50. ↑ (1980, May 7). City of Madison licence list, May 1980. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 37.
  51. ↑ "Rocky Rococo's Locations (snapshot of Oct. 6, 2001)." rockyrococo.com. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
  52. ↑ (1983, May 6). City of Madison licence list, May 1983. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 32.
  53. ↑ Yelp listing: Rocky Rococo Pan Style Pizza, 1301 Regent St. Yelp. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  54. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2023, January 24). "Old-school, red-sauce spaghetti house coming to Regent Street." madison.com.
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