Straw Hat Pizza was formed July 10, 1959, by Charlie Olsen and Bill Henderlong. They had been working in the industry at the time and felt they could provide a better-tasting product and family-friendly environment. The first Straw Hat opened in 1960 in San Leandro, CA.
They picked the name because of the types of uniforms worn by many pizzerias in California at the time. This way, customers would quickly identify with and understand the type of product they sold.
