Bob Long, a former Green Bay Packers player and key figure in bringing Pizza Hut to Sheboygan, has passed away at the age of 83. Long’s connection to Pizza Hut in the city dates back to the summer of 1969, when he opened the first location at the northeast corner of North 14th Street and Erie Avenue, in the building that once housed the Erie Eat Shoppe. This marked the sixth Pizza Hut in Wisconsin, following locations in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, and Stevens Point.
Long’s efforts played a pivotal role in establishing the chain in Sheboygan, a city already home to local pizzerias like Faye’s on Calumet Drive and Pizza Village on North Eighth Street, which opened in 1957 and 1961, respectively. Pizza Hut continued to operate near that intersection until 2013, when it moved to South Taylor Drive and transitioned to a carry-out-only format.
The original Pizza Hut in Sheboygan was part of a larger expansion by the chain, which was founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas. Today, there are over 6,000 Pizza Hut locations across the U.S., with about 130 in Wisconsin. Nearby locations include Sheboygan Falls and Manitowoc.
In 1978, Sheboygan saw the opening of a second Pizza Hut on South Business Drive, south of the former Park and Shop Supermarket. Long also opened a location in Plymouth, where he was managing more than 25 Pizza Hut franchises at the time. The Plymouth restaurant has since closed.
The original Pizza Hut location in Sheboygan was replaced by a Domino’s Pizza, marking the end of the chain’s presence at that site.
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