Mel's Pizza located within BMO Field has just announced its closure, with tomorrow being their last day of operation. Known for their creative daily pizza specials and genuine engagement with their followers, backed by their slogan of being "Friends With Mel," this pizza pop-up came into fruition during the pandemic due to their jobs within the restaurant industry being put on pause.
According to chef and founder Matthew Sullivan, who also happens to be the executive chef at MLSE, Mel's Pizza was always meant to remain as just a pop-up, with the plan being to sign-off and return to their lives pre-pandemic once the city returned to some sort of normalcy again.
"All I can say right now is that Mel's was always supposed to be temporary in this iteration, and its time is now up," says Sullivan, "I really appreciated all the love that Mel's got and really hope that it can return one day."
Beginning in October 2020, the group quickly built their name and were favoured by many for pizza variations that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else in the city. Often taking the requests and suggestions of followers and collaborating with local chefs to design pies, some of the standout pizzas created include their beef patty pizza, clam pasta pizza, bacon double cheeseburger pizza and Korean fried chicken pizza.
In addition to all that, Mel's also played around with offering different limited-time-only items like garlic knots and wings that eventually rotated onto the main menu.
For this month, they even launched new honey glazed doughnuts tossed in Trix cereal as a fundraiser for the "You Can Play Project" that works to ensure the safety and inclusion of all who participate in sports, including LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches and fans. All profits from this menu item are donated.
Though their secret pizzas, spontaneous giveaways, black box collaboration specials and more will be missed, those who stay "friends with Mel" by following them on Instagram can hope to see chef Matthew Sullivan and his team back again in the future.
Find Mel's Pizza on all local delivery platforms or call ahead for pickup; keep in mind tomorrow is the last day of service and they will remain open until they sell out.
