Woodfire

What Woodfire does

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza is a privately held, family-owned restaurant group founded by husband-and-wife team Joe and Anne D'Astice, operating two dine-in locations in Illinois — the original at 408 E State St in downtown Rockford and a second at 127 W Main St in West Dundee, opened in 2019. The company began as a mobile wood-fired oven concept before transitioning to its first brick-and-mortar. Core products are wood-fired brick oven pizzas, scratch-made pasta, and a full bar program featuring craft cocktails, a deep wine list, and craft beer from the in-house Carlyle Brewing Co., which Woodfire acquired in 2022. Menu pricing is unit-based, with pizzas typically $16–$25, supplemented by appetizers ($7–$17.50), salads, pasta ($18–$26), sandwiches, and desserts; the Dundee location extends into lunch specials and a smashburger sub-line.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market across dine-in, online ordering, takeout, and phone orders, supplemented by catering services at Dundee and digital gift cards sold through the website in $5–$100 denominations. Its technology stack is built on the Toast platform, which provides POS, online ordering, payment processing, and a mobile-responsive website for both locations, with OpenTable handling reservations at West Dundee and Toast handling reservations at Rockford. There is no proprietary technology beyond the wood-fired brick oven cooking method, and there are no AI/ML, app, or API capabilities disclosed. Revenue is generated transactionally across consumer segments including general diners, business lunch customers, and catering clients, with marketing concentrated on the company website, Facebook, Instagram, email, and the Toast/OpenTable ecosystems. Woodfire received the 2025 Chicago Tribune Pizza of the Year Readers' Choice award, its primary third-party validation, and remains a founder-led, independent operator without institutional investment or a parent company.

Name

Woodfire

Legal name

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza

Website

https://woodfire.pizza

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza is a family-owned restaurant group operating two Illinois locations in Rockford and West Dundee, serving wood-fired pizzas, scratch-made pasta, and a full bar with house-brewed Carlyle beer to local consumers, catering clients, and gift card buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)

Keywords

• Wood-fired pizza
• Italian restaurant
• Scratch-made pasta
• Craft brewery
• Casual dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining at the two restaurant locations in Rockford and West Dundee, Illinois, including food, beverages, and alcohol sales.
2. Takeout and Online Ordering: Revenue from online orders placed through their Toast-powered website and phone orders for takeout.
3. Catering Services: Catering menu offered at Dundee location for events and private gatherings.
4. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold through their website in denominations of $5-100.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza operates two family-owned restaurant locations in Rockford and West Dundee, Illinois, serving wood-fired pizzas, scratch-made Italian pastas, and a full bar program with craft cocktails and house-brewed Carlyle Brewing Co. beers. The company supplements dine-in service with online takeout ordering via Toast, reservations, catering at the Dundee location, and digital gift cards.

Product overview

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza is a locally owned restaurant group operating two locations in Rockford and West Dundee, Illinois. The core offering centers on wood-fired pizzas and scratch-made pasta dishes, complemented by a full bar program featuring craft cocktails, wine, and Carlyle Brewing Co. beers. The Rockford location serves as the original brick-and-mortar, while the West Dundee location offers expanded menu items including lunch specials, sandwiches, and the Woodfire Smashburger. In 2022, Woodfire acquired Carlyle Brewing Co., adding craft beer production to the restaurant group. Additional services include catering and gift cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wood-fired Brick Oven Pizza
• Scratch-Made Pasta
• Full Bar Program
• Catering Services
• Digital Gift Cards
• Carlyle Brewing Co. Craft Beer

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted 2025 Pizza of the Year by Chicago Tribune 15th Annual Food Awards Readers' Choice

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Carlyle Brewing Co.coreOthers · 1 January 2022In 2022, Woodfire acquired Carlyle Brewing Co. out of Rockford, IL. This acquisition expanded the Woodfire restaurant group to include brewing operations. Carlyle Brewing Co. beer is served on tap at both Woodfire locations. The beef shank dish at Dundee features Carlyle IPA in its preparation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Giordano's: Famous Chicago stuffed deep-dish pizza chain with multi-unit Illinois footprint and national recognition. Comparable as a category leader competing for the same local pizza consumer.
• Lou Malnati's Pizzeria: Iconic Chicago deep-dish pizza chain with strong regional brand and multiple locations. Comparable as an established Illinois-based pizza operator with catering and takeout.
• Aurelio's Pizza: Family-owned Chicago-area pizza chain operating multiple Illinois storefronts. Useful comparable for unit economics and regional expansion within the same Illinois market.

Broad incumbents

• Blaze Pizza: Fast-casual national pizza chain with custom-build pies. Adjacent competitor for the same consumer pizza dollar, though positioned at a lower price point and faster service model.
• California Pizza Kitchen: National full-service pizza chain with broader menu, full bar, and catering. Comparable on casual full-service pizza + bar positioning, but at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Piece Brewery & Pizzeria: Chicago-based wood-fired pizzeria with an in-house craft brewery and full bar. Near-identical operating model to Woodfire (pizza + brewing) and a directly comparable Illinois-market peer.
• Coal Vines: Upscale wood-fired pizza and Italian concept with deep wine and cocktail programs. Comparable menu architecture (wood-fired pizza, Italian small plates, full bar) to Woodfire.
• Pizzeria Bianco: Phoenix-based artisanal wood-fired pizzeria widely regarded as a benchmark for craft pizza in the U.S. Comparable on cooking technique, ingredient quality, and chef-driven positioning.
• Bonci Pizzeria: Artisanal Roman-style pizza concept with locations in Chicago and other cities. Comparable on wood-fired technique, Italian menu, and full-service dining model.
• Roberta's: Brooklyn-based wood-fired pizzeria known for artisanal pies, full bar, and community positioning. Closest peer in terms of craft-pizza-plus-full-bar concept, though at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/woodfirewestdundee
• Instagraminstagram.com/woodfirewestdundee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Woodfire