It was the Spring of 2008. After a long day of work, our stomachs ached for a nice hot pizza delivered to our house. Given our geographical location outside of Kiel, our options were limited....as in none. Having driven past a tired old building almost daily, Jen felt it would be the perfect spot to open a small pizza place and offer delivery to Kiel and more importantly, the outlying area. She’s quite persuasive, and not long after the building was ours. Now what to call this pizza shop? After numerous really bad name ideas, we landed on Parker John’s, named after our son. He was two at the time and when he really liked something he proudly proclaimed, “It’s Tasty for Me” which became our tagline and our slogan in those early years. In October of 2008 Parker John’s Pizza was born, offering in-house dining, a game room, and delivery to Kiel and the surrounding area.

Fast forward three years and we’re deep in the recession. Family budgets tightened (along with their waists) and in-house dining slowly dwindled. One thing remained constant, and that was the delivery of pizza to homes and businesses in and around the Kiel area. It was at this time that Jen had another great idea. Borrowing on our three years of restaurant work in the Kansas City area, we took the very few discretionary dollars we had and bought a smoker. We closed for two weeks, remodeled the interior, and reopened as Parker John’s BBQ and Pizza. We haven’t really looked back since.

So why BBQ & Pizza? We’re big believers that you never forget where you came from. Parker John’s was built on pizza and we’re awfully smitten about how this story was written. Although we absolutely love smoking meat and have dedicated our restaurants to kicking out some of the best smoked meats you can find in Wisconsin, the pizza will always remain.

We fired up our original smoker at the Kiel location in October of 2008 and blew the flame out in April of 2024. Tens of thousands of guests enjoyed the product, smoking daily around the clock to keep up with demand. We couldn’t be more proud to say that it all started on Service Road in Kiel, WI. The saying in Kiel is “The Little City That Does Big Things” and while we are a bit biased, we would have to agree. Over the years a lot has changed. Our restaurants are much larger and our menu more diverse, but our commitment to house made sides, BBQ sauces and smoked meats has never been stronger. Our Southern Pride smokers welcome a variety of smoked meats, sides, and more on a daily basis with open doors.

It’s been 15 years since it all began. From that original location in Kiel, we were able to expand to Menasha, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Appleton. You can also find us seasonally at EAA and in the Paddock at Road America in Elkhart Lake. We have you, our guests and our amazing staff, to thank for this journey. Our goal is to continue our tradition of slow-smoked meats in a kick-ass atmosphere for years to come. What about pizza you may ask? Don’t you fret. We still like to crack a cold beer and enjoy it with a hot slice delivered to our door as we did many years ago. Thank you for stopping and we hope to see you back real soon. If you can’t make it in person, give us a call and we will gladly bring it to your door.

Sincerely,

Aaron, Jennifer, Parker John & Ava Sloma