Streets of New York, one of the oldest family-owned pizza chains in Arizona, commemorates its 40th anniversary with the 40 Days of Streets celebration. It includes prizes and special dining offers October 4 through November 12, 2016 with a portion of the proceeds from the 40th anniversary special benefitting Make-A-Wish Arizona.

The restaurant chain, as we know it today, was the brainchild of Bernd Glaeser, a master pastry chef from Dresden, Germany, who immigrated to the United States in 1959 and joined the U.S. Army. He later met and married Lorrie, the current president and owner of Streets of New York. Once arriving in Arizona, Bernd worked to formulate a special recipe for pizza dough, and together they created the business plan and menu that is now Streets of New York.

The first store opened on October 29, 1976 at 32nd Street and Cactus Road. Forty years later and with 26 locations including two in Prescott and two in Las Vegas, plus partnerships with the Arizona Diamondbacks, spring training at Salt River Fields, the Phoenix Suns, the Phoenix Mercury and ASU football, Streets of New York has remained a household name in the Valley.

Today, Lorrie Glaeser and her family, which includes her three children and their spouses, run the restaurant chain. “We are very grateful for the loyal following of our guests and our employee base of more than 400 who have shown great dedication to our family-owned business,” said Glaeser. “Much of our success is simple: we remain loyal to who we are and work together as a family to ensure the longevity of the brand that we’ve worked so hard to build.”