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Old Shawnee Pizza is a family-owned cracker-crust pizzeria founded in downtown Shawnee in 1969 by Navy veteran and rural-Kansas native Joe Walker. Originally called the Pizza Shoppe, it has operated continuously under the Walker family for more than 55 years and is now run by Joe’s children, William and Lisa Walker. Known regionally for its Kansas City–style thin/cracker crust and its oversized “BIGGIN’,” it is a textbook Shawnee institution.

Description

Old Shawnee Pizza is a Kansas City–style pizzeria specializing in thin, crisp cracker-crust pizza — the regional Midwestern style cut into squares (“party cut”). The flagship Shawnee restaurant sits at the corner of Nieman Road and Roger Drive in downtown Shawnee, a short distance west of I-35.1

Its best-known menu items are “THE BIGGIN’,” an oversized signature pizza the restaurant brands itself around (“Home of THE BIGGIN’”), and the Famous Crab Rangoon Pizza. The kitchen has expanded its crust options over the years to include keto (almond-flour), cauliflower, and gluten-free crusts introduced around 2019, alongside the traditional cracker crust.2

The business operates additional locations beyond the original Shawnee restaurant: a sit-down location in Lenexa (19617 W. 101st St) and, per coverage of the family’s expansion, a carry-out/delivery operation in the Crossroads District of Kansas City, Missouri.32

Ownership and history

Old Shawnee Pizza was founded in 1969 by Joe Walker, a native of Moline, in rural Elk County, Kansas, and a U.S. Navy veteran who had served as an airplane mechanic. Working an insurance-sales job that wasn’t supporting his wife and three daughters, Walker borrowed roughly $5,000 from his farmer father to open a pizza restaurant in downtown Shawnee.34

The original restaurant opened on Nieman Road — reported as being in the old McAnany home — and was named the Pizza Shoppe. That name remained for decades; Walker renamed the business Old Shawnee Pizza in the early 2000s, and the operation settled at its current Shawnee location near 60th & Nieman (6000 Roger Drive).34

In 2003, Joe Walker’s children William Walker and Lisa Walker took over the business, and Joe retired (returning occasionally to work shifts, and otherwise pursuing hunting and fishing). William and Lisa have continued to run the restaurants, maintaining Joe’s original recipes and his stated philosophy of giving customers more in lean times (“when times get lean, you want to put a little bit more on… people get a little bit more for their money”).34

Joe Walker died on January 28, 2025, at age 87, after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The City of Shawnee honored his legacy at a City Council meeting following his death.35 The business remains family-owned and operated by his children.

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Yelp / location listings — Old Shawnee Pizza, 6000 Roger Dr, Shawnee, KS 66203 (corner of Nieman Rd & Roger Dr, west of I-35). https://www.yelp.com/biz/old-shawnee-pizza-shawnee-shawnee ↩

  2. Old Shawnee Pizza official website, shawneepizza.com — “Home of THE BIGGIN’,” KC-style cracker crust, Famous Crab Rangoon Pizza, keto/cauliflower/gluten-free crusts (2019), Lenexa & Shawnee locations, Shawnee phone 913-631-5716, “Top 50 Independent Pizzerias in America” claim. https://shawneepizza.com/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Johnson County Post, “The legacy of Joe Walker, Old Shawnee Pizza founder, lives on through his children,” Feb. 28, 2025. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/02/28/joe-walker-old-shawnee-pizza-254112/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Johnson County Post (same article) — founding details: 1969 founding, $5,000 loan from his father, original “Pizza Shoppe” name, old McAnany home on Nieman Road, 2003 handover to William and Lisa Walker, renaming to Old Shawnee Pizza in early 2000s. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. City of Shawnee, KS Government — Facebook post honoring Joe Walker’s legacy at a City Council meeting. https://www.facebook.com/CityofShawnee/ ↩

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Italian
  • Shawnee