Despite name, this pizza location isn’t in Waldo. But moniker, menu soon to change
Waldo Pizza is a fitting name for a neighborhood place in Waldo, and it has operated there for more than three decades.
The name also worked for a Lee’ Summit outpost since mid-2004.
But now that is changing.
Waldo Pizza in Lee’s Summit, 1543 N.E. Douglas St., is ending its licensing agreement and strengthening its community connection with a new name — Summit Pizza.
It will reopen Oct. 1 under the new name with some new menu items.
Owner Susan Sims’ parents were living in Waldo when she was born but they moved to Lee’s Summit two years later and she’s been there ever since. After working at another Lee’s Summit pizza place, she was recruited to work at the original Waldo Pizza in 1991.
In 2004, Waldo Pizza licensed the name and recipes to a businessman who opened the Lee’s Summit location. But Sims said he dropped out after a few months and she was offered the location.
She has tweaked the menu a bit over the years. Pizza with capers, for example, sold in Waldo but not so much in Lee’s Summit. Some recipes also will go away with the end of the licensing agreement.
New items will include nacho pasta, Jazzy B’s brisket, pulled pork and burnt ends (from Jazzy B’s Diner in Lee’s Summit), a Summit Hero (both a sandwich and pizza), and a new large salad with pizza toppings.
The vegan menu also has been expanded to include several of its specialty pizzas.
The original Waldo Pizza was hiring employees in late 1987 and was open by early 1988. Phil Bourne bought it in 1993. He recently sold it to Steve Kingery.
But Bourne is still coming in, now as an employee.
“Phil was retiring so it seemed like a good time to change the name,” Sims said. “We wanted to pay homage to the community.”
She plans to have a contest to rename the Choice Cut, which has Italian sausage, bacon, pepperoni, hamburger and Canadian bacon. The winner will receive a free large pizza every month for a year.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.