8 years later, Barro’s expands Maricopa pizzeria

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Within a year of opening in Maricopa in 2007, owner Ken Barro says it was obvious his pizzeria needed more space.

“It was one of our smallest bars,” he says.

It was also hit early on, with a lunch rush and crowded weekends. That was a problem, but a good problem to have.

Barro knew they had to expand to make seating more accommodating and accessible. Ideas for a patio space did not pan out and other negotiations and discussions stayed at the conversation level. So, at 2,400 square feet, Barro’s Pizza continued to bide its time until opportunity knocked on the glass pane of the front door.

That happened when the restaurant’s next-door neighbor, RadioShack, moved. The Barro family opened discussions with the landlord about the space.

In mid-January, Barro’s officially expanded to 4,100 square feet. Barro says it is still a work in progress as they have plans for signage and expanding the counter.

Barro, who owns the company of 35 Arizona restaurants with brothers Mike and Bruce, says he wasn’t sure how the Maricopa location would do back in 2007 because Barro’s Pizza is not a large corporate entity with franchises.

“We had been successful with locations in the Valley, but I was a little concerned with name recognition,” he says.

But Maricopa was booming at the time. Barro, who lives in Chandler, had friends move to Maricopa, which piqued his interest in the community. It seemed like it would be a good fit for a company that tries to be involved with community, connecting with Little League and schools.

“I thought it would be a matter of time and serving a good product,” Barro says.

Barro calls the restaurants’ menu of pizza, sandwiches and wings “comfort food.” It is a family tradition that started with his grandmother Angelina and continued through the next generations.

The Barro family opened a restaurant in Chicago in 1961. Angelina and her sons moved to Southern California and opened another restaurant. That is where Ken Barro grew up, working for his father.

“I realized this was something I wanted to do,” he says.