Back in the Day

A message from Steve...

I came across a fascinating story recently about a former Pizza Hut dishwasher named Tim Sparks who is now bringing back the original 1980s dine-in experience. It’s important to note that I was 10 years old in 1980, so a post-game trip to Pizza Hut with my Little League team was next level for this scrappy 2nd baseman, and for all my teammates.

So, when I read about this old school Pizza Hut resurgence, it got me in my “back in the day” feels. There’s just something about a positive, core childhood memory that can remind us of the power and beauty of nostalgia. And as I get older, and look back and reflect more frequently, I realize how important that journey down memory lane can be.

When I think back to those post-game team gatherings at Pizza Hut in West Covina, California, I remember so distinctly the red cups, the stained-glass lamps, the vinyl booths, checkered tablecloths, and Pac Man.

And what’s happening now is a mission to remember. People are driving hours just to sit in those booths again, play those video games again, and relive something they may not realize they’ve missed. I’m assuming here, but this resurgence is probably not because the pizza is drastically different. It’s more likely because the experience is familiar, and because it reminds them of a positive childhood memory, simpler times, and the power of being together.

As leaders, teachers, coaches, presenters, and parents, we can spend a lot of time focused on the goal, the strategy, the plan, and what’s next. These are all important, but sometimes, in that forward motion, we can lose touch with what made things meaningful in the first place, which is the feeling, the connection, the simple, shared experience.

What I’ve come to realize is that many of the moments that shaped me as a kid weren’t complicated. They were basic, they were shared, and they were real. The car ride conversations, the practices, the games, the laughs, the awkward moments, the wins, the losses, and the spontaneous (or at least us kids thought it was spontaneous) post-game pizza party!

As I kept researching this Pizza Hut phenomenon, it became clear to me that people aren’t just chasing nostalgia for the sake of the past, they’re chasing the feeling they had in those moments way back when. And that’s something we can create right now, because nostalgia isn’t something we just revisit, it’s something we can build.

In our presentations, our meetings, our classrooms, our locker rooms, and in our homes, when we slow down enough to be present, when we create space for real interaction, and when we prioritize people over process, we’re not just getting through the day, we’re creating moments that someone will one day have as a core memory.

As I kept reading about this new and successful Pizza Hut business model, I learned that when they tried to compete purely on speed and efficiency, they lost something. They became just another option. But when someone brought back the experience, the connection, the feeling, the colors, the layout, the old school vibe, people showed up again... not for the transaction, but for the memory.

So maybe the challenge for all of us is to do our best to create moments and experiences today that people will want to come back to tomorrow. With that in mind, and with my new appreciation for the power of nostalgia front and center, below are a few things I’m trying to implement, albeit imperfectly, here at Game On and at home.

1. Be intentional about creating experiences, not just outcomes, because the little moments often become the lasting ones.

2. Bring back what works, whether it’s healthy traditions, routines, or shared rituals, because they ground people and create connection.

3. Stay present, because nostalgia is built in real time, and the more we’re actually there, the more meaningful those moments become later.

Because one day, we’ll look back at today, and it will be considered... Back in the Day.

Nostalgia On.

Game On.