Reservations for groups of 14 guests or less are available through OpenTable. Please contact us for larger groups. Walk-ins are welcome
Enjoying Hernando’s Pizza Pub has been a long-standing tradition to people who visit Winter Park from all over the country since 1967. Hernando’s began when Jerry and Anne Von Dracek fell in love with “Hideaway Park” (renamed Winter Park) and decided to start a pizza restaurant. They both enjoyed Broadway musicals and the “Pajama Game” was their favorite. The theme song of the musical was “Hernando’s Hideaway,” which became the name of their new restaurant.
Cowboy and Ellen bought Hernando’s from Jeff and Kimber Davidson on December 1, 2018. This is a date for the books, as 29 years prior to the day when Jeff and Kimber purchased the restaurant. Cowboy, as you may recognize, has been at Hernando’s for the last 22 years helping run the show, so the Hernando’s tradition will live on!
In 1989 when Kimber and Jeff Davidson bought the restaurant, they hired a fellow by the name of Russ Peterson from Florida. Russ suggested Hernando’s should hang decorated dollars and post them on the wall, just like a restaurant he knew of in Florida. Jeff did not think it would be a great idea and that it wouldn’t work out, so Russ offered a wager to Jeff and decorated his bill and posted it above the bar. He said, “I’ll bet there will be 20 bills posted by the end of the ski season.” Jeff took the bet, which was for a bottle of Grand Marnier (Russ’ favorite). Days, weeks, even months went by before anyone posted a bill. Needless to say, Russ got a little desperate, and desperate men take desperate measures. He started buying other cow-workers drinks if they would decorate and posta bill. Sure enough, by the time the ski area was closed there were exactly 20 bills posted. Jeff knew of all the bribing, but still wanted to make good on his bet, so he presented Russ with a miniature bottle of Grand Marnier. As of 2019 there are over 35,000 dollar bills posted on the walls of Hernando’s Pizza Pub. Russ hasn’t been back, but he would be proud. Ask your server for the markers and leave your “mark” on Hernando’s too!