image description — Teddy's founders Teddy and Susan Bilis, front left, have sold their 40-year-old restaurant to the Manning family.

With New Owners, Teddy's Pizza is Business as Usual

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:28AM / Tuesday, November 07, 2023Print Story | Email Story

Patrick Manning, left, Wil Bilis, Teddy and Susan Bilis, and new owners Jennifer and Mike Manning.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — One of the city's oldest eateries has changed hands to another local family but remains open and unchanged.

Teddy's Pizza Restaurant on East Street has been purchased by Mike Manning, who is continuing its 50-year legacy as the long-loved pizzeria and family restaurant everyone knows.

"I grew up eating lunch here while at Pittsfield High and that's kind of like a generational thing," he explained. "Everybody comes here, and here we are and we decided to give it a go."

He emphasized that it will be the "same exact menu, same exact recipes, everything stays the same." On Monday, they were getting pizza training from the Bilis family, who opened Teddy's in 1974.

Manning and his wife, Jennifer, have a large family and one of their children, Patrick, will be working at Teddy's during the winter. The family owns three other businesses in the area including Patriot Driveway Inc. and will employ some pavers in the off-season.

"We're just really excited. Our kids all came through here and went to Pittsfield High and it's just iconic," Jennifer Manning said.

"We're excited to keep it going but we also have a lot to learn and these guys are being gracious and they're going to stay on and be a consult to us even after they're gone."

The new owners also plan to continue the tradition of supporting local sports teams.

There had reportedly been social media buzz wrongfully reporting that the East Street eatery was closing and the new owners wanted to clear the air, explaining that it has been a seamless handoff and the operation will not be affected.

Former owner Theodoros Bilis came to America from Greece at age 13. His wife, Susan, son and daughter Wil and Melissa, and her husband, Matt, were all employed at the restaurant.

"Give them a chance," Susan Bilis said. "That is one thing I want to stress."

She said the pizzeria has a lot of loyal customers including a four-generation family. Many locals remember getting two cheese slices with a side of ranch dressing while on lunch break at Pittsfield High.

"We're teaching them everything. He's going to do everything the same way," Bilis said, adding that the Mannings are "a nice family just like we were a nice family."

Teddy's is known for its pizza but the menu also offers grinders and subs, dinner and appetizers, and salads with a full bar to wash it all down.

Bilis joked that she will be relaxing and spending time with her family in retirement.

"I love Pittsfield no matter what people say about Pittsfield," she said. "I still love it here."

Tags: business changes, pizza, restaurants,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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