We Deliver Wild River Pizza
Hurry In Curry Delivery Service is proud to deliver for Wild River Pizza. They’ve been a part of the Brookings landscape for as long as I can remember. Literally. I was born in 1981 and the Brookings location was established in 1980. Back then it was just called Pizza Deli (prior to rebranding in 1994).
Just like the rest of the longtime Brookings residents, I have countless fond memories at Wild River. Memories of piles of chicken and chips and platters of pizza laid out across long, sturdy tables–friends, family, and teammates crowded around; plus pool and air hockey, pinball, arcade machines, gumballs and those stretchy sticky hands from the quarter machines. It was the best.
My memories run all the way from childhood through BHHS Safe and Sober Graduation (which Wild River hosts annually) and the years beyond. Now I have kids of my own and we celebrate birthdays there. For me, and so many others, it’s the most nostalgic place in Brookings. An iconic gathering place.
To this day, Wild River still serves up their classic party cut pizzas and chicken & chips just like they used to when I was a kid, plus they’ve added a whole lot to the menu over the years: sandwiches, salad, breadsticks, wings, beer, rootbeer, desserts, a lunch buffet and more.
All those years gone by and I never really looked into (or thought about) the history of Wild River Pizza, aka Pizza Deli. Did you know that Pizza Deli didn’t get its start in Brookings? The original establishment was in Cave Junction. Today there are 5 Wild River locations!
Pizza Deli/Wild River Pizza
Historical Timeline
June, 1975
Cave Junction, OR—
Jerry and Bertha Miller establish Miller’s Shady Oaks Pizza Deli.
1980
Brookings, OR—
Added a new Pizza Deli location, operated by Jerry & Bertha’s son, Darrel, and his wife Becky.
1990
Grants Pass, OR—
Opened Steelhead Brewery, brewing award winning beer.
1994
Grants Pass, OR—
Opened a new location and a nearby pub they dubbed Wild River Brewing. Thus, Wild River Brewing & Pizza Company was born. The Cave Junction and Brookings Pizza Delis rebranded to Wild River Pizza & Brewing.
November, 2006
Medford, OR—
Wild River adds a fifth location. With seats for about 300 diners, they’re carrying on the legacy of being a great place to gather and make lifelong memories.
Historical Footnote
All of the meat supplied to Wild River comes from Taylor’s Sausage in Cave Junction, Oregon, since 1975. They are the exclusive supplier of Linguica, Sweet Italian Sausage, Polish Sausage, and many custom products at all Wild River restaurants. In point of fact, Jerry helped the Taylor’s set up their original meat plant, and started out selling sandwiches exclusively with Taylor’s Sausage products. To this day, there’s a sandwich named after Jerry’s wife, Bertha, “The Bertha’s Favorite,” as homage to their original roots!
Present Day Wild River
Wild River Pizza is a family run business. Here at the Brookings location, Darrel and Becky have passed the torch on to their son, Cody Miller, who manages with the help of his aunt Krista Holler and his cousin Ashley Holler. Cody’s cousin Clay Leedy oversees all the operations in the valley with his wife Josie Leedy.
Cody has been an awesome ally to Hurry In Curry over the years and we really appreciate him, his family, and their whole crew for their quality, attention to detail, and support over the years. They refer more customers to Hurry In Curry than any other restaurant in Brookings-Harbor.
I remember when I first approached Cody and Darrel to let them know I was opening a delivery service and that I’d like to deliver for them. They were hesitant. Cody was concerned about quality control. Understandably so. It’s hard to trust a third party to be your brand ambassador. I could tell I’d need to put in the work to prove it, but I promised them I’d give it my all because I intended to raise my family here through my delivery service. So I did. Over the years we’ve built a mutual respect and a great working relationship.
Brief Interview with Cody Miller, Brookings Wild River Manager
I recently interviewed Cody via facebook Messenger. I had a few questions I wanted to ask, and my plan was to extract the useful bits and turn it into exposition. Turned out I liked the way it read organically. So here it is, raw and uncut.
Were any of the locations built by your family? Or were all of the buildings purchased as-is?
“We custom built the Grants Pass main location, and the Central Point location as well. The others were purchased and slowly evolved with the businesses.”
I’ve never been to the Grants Pass location. The website says there’s a pub and a Wild River Pizza and they’re on E and F streets. Are they nearby to one another or connected?
“They are a few hundred feet apart.”
Also, I read that the pub was born in 1994. Was the Grants Pass restaurant also started in 1994?
“Yes, the pub and Grants Pass location were both born in ‘94.”
General Info
The Brookings-Harbor location has always employed lots of high school students. Do all 5 locations hire as many local students, or is that just a ‘here’ thing?
“Brookings is the main employer of high school aged students…”
In what ways is Wild River involved with local area philanthropy?
“We basically sponsor every charitable cause on the coast from Crescent City to Gold Beach. Especially the schools. One of our biggest is Safe and Sober for sure, but we love working with the theaters and performing arts, and sports!”
Are your grandparents still involved in operations?
“Grandpa passed away a few years ago, but we work hard to maintain his legacy. Grandma Bertha still dips her toes in here and there.”
And maintain his legacy they do! Cody is a third-generation family member; he and his wife, Krystle have two small children. Can’t wait to see what the 4th generation of Millers do with the place when they take over–provided they choose to follow in the family footsteps.
-Gabriel Chatman-
Owner/Operator
Hurry In Curry Deliveries