Village Inn Pizza Parlor was a national pizza chain that opened a Bismarck location at 434 South Third Street in 1971. It was the company’s second North Dakota location, after Minot.
Rax Roast Beef occupied the building in 1985, followed by Applebee’s in 1992. A location also existed downtown for some time.
Charles Misfeldt founded Village Inn Pizza Parlor in Phoenix, Arizona in June 1961. The locations, including the one in Bismarck, featured a distinguished A-frame architectural style. By 1965 there were 13 locations in 4 states. They had locations in at least 12 states. Today there remain several locations using the same original logo, but they do not appear to have any formal affiliation with each other. The nearest open location to North Dakota is in Billings, Montana, however it has relocated from its original iconic location.
The restaurant should not be confused with the similarly-named Village Inn Pancake House, which opened in 1972 at 405 South Seventh Street (today’s Denny’s).
