Our Founder and History

Pizza King

Our Founder, Hal Inman Jr. 

Hal was born October 30, 1935, to Hal Preston Inman, Sr. and Brady Buford Inman in Corsicana and graduated from Corsicana High School in 1954. He attended Navarro Jr. College and North Texas State University and afterward briefly served our country in the United States Coast Guard. He married Wanda Dale on November 30, 1957, in Corsicana, and they were married 58 years. They were blessed with three children: Tracy, Hal III, and Lisa.

In 1965, Hal started operating the Pizza King. He was quite proud of the 50 years of service the Pizza King provided to the community. He always had a special place in his heart for all the customers, friends, family, and employees that came through the doors. Hal attended Longview Missionary Baptist Church.

He was known and loved by family and friends for his kindness, generosity, and great work ethic. He loved his family and customers, old cars, swap meets, oil and gas memorabilia, Indian history and artifacts, elk hunting in Colorado with the Martins, breakfast with friends at Jucy's, having coffee with friends at Greggton Antique Mall, horses, cattle, his dogs Blue and Boots, and his cat Cleo.

Early Days of Pizza King

In the 1950's, Hal Inman Jr. and his brother Bill had the idea to start a pizza parlor in Corsicana, Texas. They installed a slate oven and began experimenting with different ideas and recipes. Mostly through trial and error, they established the dough and pizza sauce recipe we are still using today.

In 1954, Pizza King operated in a building constructed by Eddie and Earlene Williams. It was originally designed as a drive-in and operated under the names "Weber's" and "Four Oaks." It was located at the intersection of East Marshall and Stuckey Drive, in an area known to the locals as the "mile of smiles."

As the business grew, Bill moved to Tyler, Texas, to open the first Pizza King. Hal Inman and his wife Wanda remained in Corsicana until 1963 when they sold the burger shop and moved to the Tyler area to rejoin his brother. Once again business began to grow, so Bill and Hal began looking for other potential locations.

That was when the recently closed drive-in was discovered in Longview, Texas.  For months, Hal and numerous other employees commuted daily from Tyler to the Longview location. Many times, Hal's wife Wanda would hire a babysitter to stay with the kids. Then she would ride the bus to Longview, work until closing time, and ride back home with Hal. Mid 1966, the Inmans sold their home in Tyler and officially moved to Longview.

The Old Building

Customers often mention the old location and talk about it with fondness--even when they talk about waiting in line to use the restroom out back on a Friday night!

Pizza King has been successful because of the people who are willing to put in the long hours and make sure that we live up to our motto: "a smile in every bite."

Pizza King has always been a family-owned and family-operated business. Hal Inman's father "Peck" joined the team when Bill closed the Pizza King in Tyler in the mid-1970's and moved his family down to Austin.

As the business continued to grow, the kitchen became so crowded that staff barely had room to breathe. The dining room and the to-go line were packed! The Inmans made plans with Noah's Construction Company, to begin building a new restaurant. The new building doubled the size of the dining room and tripled the number of ovens!

In 1996, Hal and Wanda Inman handed over the day-to-day operations to their three children: Hal Inman III, Lisa Knight, and Tracy Alford. Collectively these three, and long-time coworker John Wilson, have close to 100 years of experience making sure that our customers really do get to enjoy the "Best Pizza In East Texas."

In 2021, The Inmans sold the business to another Longview family. They continue to operate Pizza King as a family business with many of the same employees and the same secret recipe since 1965!

Opening Day

Pizza King opened at our new location on Friday, January 22, 1999.

The staff were anticipating a busy day since everyone wanted to check out the new building and see all the changes that had been made.

The entire family came out to help on opening day. Aunts and uncles were washing dishes. All of the managers had their spouses present either answering phones or cleaning tables. It was a very busy weekend!

We have now crossed our 50-year mark, and the business is still growing. We are full most nights. That's why we have opened a second location--Pizza King To Go-- at 3302 N. Fourth Street in Longview (in the same building as Wendy's). We really do have the best customers in the world! Thank you, and here is to another 50 years, Longview!

Our Mission

Not all pizzas are created equal. We strive to make sure that we serve a superior meal to our customers.

We ensure this by using as many fresh toppings as possible, sliced fresh daily. We season and prepare our famous ground sausage in house.

Bring your family and enjoy the best pizza in Longview! Eat in our dining room or take-and bake your pizza at home.

Try out our new convenient location on 4th Street in Longview: Pizza King To Go!

 The same great pizza--now easier than ever!