That’s a wrap.
Nardone Bros. is abruptly ending a new packaging scheme for its popular boxed pizza sold in grocery stores after customers complained about having to open the box from the side only to find the two tiers of pizza cuts wrapped in plastic.
“We appreciate your feedback and want to reassure you that while our pizza has not changed, we updated our retail store packaging as part of an effort to incorporate new technology and improve efficiency,” the company wrote in a Facebook post. “In response to your input, we will be reverting to our original packaging once the current inventory is depleted. We kindly ask for your patience during this transition and thank you for your continued support.”
Nardones Bros., founded in Wilkes-Barre in 1942, produces pizza products out of its facility in the Hanover Industrial Estates and ships them nationwide. On the retail level, its most visible product is the 12-cut family size boxed pizza at the heart of the recent controversy.
The original packaging of the box allowed consumers to lift the top of the box from the bottom to find two six-cut layers of unwrapped cold pizza that were separated by a sheet of parchment paper.
The new design required people to open one end of the box like a cereal box with flaps then cut the plastic wrap to get the pizza.
“Wrapped to preserve freshness,” the box says.
Austin Shission, 28, of Wyoming, launched a website and petition asking Nardone Bros. Baking Company to return to the original packaging for its boxed pizza sold in grocery stores. (Courtesy of Austin Shisson)
New packaging of Nardone Bros. pizza required buyers to open the box from the side to find tiers of pizza wrapped in plastic. (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
New packaging of Nardone Bros. pizza required buyers to open the box from the side to find tiers of pizza wrapped in plastic. (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
New packaging of Nardone Bros. pizza required buyers to open the box from the side to find tiers of pizza wrapped in plastic. (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
Nardone Bros. Baking Company announced Tuesday it was reverting to its original packaging for its family size pizza sold in grocery stores (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
New packaging of Nardone Bros. pizza required buyers to open the box from the side to find tiers of pizza wrapped in plastic. (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
Nardone pizza fan Austin Shission, 28, of Wyoming, launched a movement against the new packaging after buying a box over the weekend. He built and launched a website pleasefixnardonepackaging.com on Monday that included a petition that got nearly 1,000 signatures in less than a day.
The headline of the site said “Bring Back The Open From The Top Box, Nardone.”
Shission said the website was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but also allow people to bask in the nostalgia of an iconic locally-made pizza that has filled refrigerators across Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond for generations.
But the petition was serious because he didn’t like the new packaging, he said.
“Sure, the new plastic is, well … practical. But where’s the fun? Where’s the ‘I-can’t-wait-to-eat this’ feeling we got from lifting the tops of that classic box and smelling that irresistible, cheesy goodness?,” Shission wrote on the website. “The plastic wrap doesn’t hit the same way. It’s like expecting a hug and getting a high-five instead. It’s just not the same.”
While Nardone’s grocery store pizza isn’t gourmet, it’s “fun to have as a snack,” Shission said.
“I grew up eating it. I love it,” Shission said.
Shission assumes his petition made a difference in convincing Nardone Bros. to do an about-face with the packaging. He designed his petition in a way that every time someone signed it, a separate email was sent to Nardone’s corporate offices. He turned that feature off Tuesday after Nardone’s announced the change back to the original packaging.
“I would have to imagine getting 900 emails in 22 hours gave them the realization they needed to change it,” Shission said.
Local pizza influencer Jim Mirabelli, who runs NEPA Pizza Review, was quick to weigh in on the Nardone’s situation by posting a video on his social media sites after buying a box of Nardone’s with the new packaging.
“It still looked like a classic Nardone’s pizza and I’ll admit, the new packaging struck me as more sanitary and convenient for keeping pizza fresh (even if it was more work to open). While I missed the nostalgia of flipping open the old box and tearing off a slice, I appreciated the company’s effort to improve,” Mirabelli wrote in a text message. “But the real story is how Nardone Brothers listened. Faced with passionate outcry, they brought back the beloved original box. That kind of responsiveness shows they value tradition and their customers. Good for them for balancing innovation with heart.”
Dining and Cooking