ANAHEIM, Calif. — Marri’s Pizza and Italian Kitchen in Anaheim has been a local gem since 1957. It is heavily supported by the nearby tourism coming from Disneyland; so much so that it even has a specialty pizza called “The Matterhorn.”

Marri’s Pizza owner, Isaac Alexander, said his restaurant is still recovering from the financial hit the pandemic shutdowns caused.

“We were operating probably on 15% from our normal business, so it is quite a change when you get hit that hard,” he said.

When the pandemic also halted travel, Marri’s restaurant suffered even more — leading Alexander to vote for Larry Elder in the Gov. Gavin Newsom recall election.

Alexander said he felt Gov. Newsom was not empathizing with small business owners.

“We want someone who can hear us, understand where we’ve been. We just wanted change. It is not about Democrats or Republicans. It is about a change. We needed a change,” he said.

While he did not get the result he hoped for, the positive attitude at Marri’s restaurant has attracted a very loyal crowd of patrons.

Barbara Leggett, a longtime customer who loves the bruschetta at Marri’s, said she is grateful the doors of her favorite restaurant are open again. 

“Being able to follow all the guidelines when you come in, you know, wearing your mask before you get to your table, they are just super friendly, they’ve been around a long time,” said Leggett.

While Alexander has a long way to go until the restaurant fully recovers from the shutdown, he hopes Newsom will prioritize listening to the needs of small businesses.

“It’s going to be, probably a couple years before we get back, but that’s why we need the governor and the state officials to think of the small businesses, which are the heart and soul of California, that makes it easy for them to survive,” he said.