The year was 1973. Jim Barritt and Warren Haines were raising young families and working for a food distribution company known as Leprino Cheese in Santa Fe Springs. Growing dissatisfied with traveling for work and the corporate world, they took a risk; a big risk. They left their steady jobs to chase a dream. That dream was to step off the corporate treadmill and open a pizza place. They scouted various locations and settled on a small L-shape retail shopping center in South Whittier on the corner of Telegraph Road and Mills next to the old Glick Brothers’ lumberyard.

Pizzamania would not have been possible without the hard work and support of two very special ladies: Jo Barritt (Jim’s wife) and Joan Haines (Warren’s wife). They worked every bit as hard as Jim and Warren and came up with endless ideas on how to better run the restaurant.

Because of its loyal customers, Pizzamania expanded multiple times over the years. It still does a takeout and delivery business, but it also runs a large dining room capable of seating 120 people. The dining room is often at capacity. We are thankful groups and families trust Pizzamania for special events and to enjoy sporting events on the televisions that can be seen from anywhere in the dining room.

The success of Pizzamania can also be attributed to General Manager, Bill Pilkington, and Assistant Manager, Deanne Valverde. Bill was hired in 1984 at the age of 15. It became obvious quickly he was a hard worker and had a willingness to perform any task that needed to get done. Bill was promoted to General Manager at the age of 19 and has been an integral part of the restaurant for 40 years. Many customers think of Bill as “Mr. Pizzamania” and rightly so. Deanne has been a driving force behind Pizzamania as well. Please read a little more about Bill and Deanne by clicking here.

South Whittier welcomed Pizzamania with open arms from the beginning; making Jim’s and Warren’s dream come true. Some call Pizzamania the “Crowned Jewel of South Whittier”. Jim and Warren and their families will always be thankful for the support of the surrounding communities. Pizzamania has returned the favor by providing great pizza at a great price for a half-century and by employing literally hundreds of Whittier residents over the years. Pizzamania has even had the special privilege of hiring the kids and grandkids of some of the early employees who stayed local.