Uno Chicago Grill

What Uno Chicago Grill does

Uno Restaurants, LLC (operating as Uno Chicago Grill / Uno Pizzeria & Grill) is a privately held Massachusetts-domiciled casual dining restaurant company founded in 1943 by Ike Sewell, who invented Chicago deep dish pizza at the original Pizzeria Uno location on the corner of Ohio & Wabash in Chicago. The company operates a system of approximately 100 company-owned and franchised full-service restaurants across 20+ U.S. states and six international markets (Honduras, Qatar, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, UAE), with corporate headquarters in Norwood, Massachusetts. The product platform centers on Chicago Deep Dish Pizza (the brand's signature and proprietary anchor) extended with Chicago Thin Crust Pizza (launched 2016), Detroit Style Pizza, flatbreads, full pasta, burger, steak, seafood, and bar programs, plus the "Love All, Feed All" dietary-inclusive menu (vegan, gluten-free, calorie-conscious) developed with Beyond Meat and Daiya Foods. Adjacent formats include Uno Dué Go (fast-casual), Uno Express (quick-service), Uno Foods (consumer packaged goods distributed to airlines, hotels, and supermarkets), and the original Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due Chicago landmarks.

The business generates revenue through six principal streams: company-owned restaurant dine-in/takeout/delivery sales, franchise royalties and fees (including a re-franchising initiative that converted eight Maryland/Virginia stores to MVPizza, LLC in 2018), catering and group sales (including motor coach tours), Uno Foods CPG sales, gift card sales (in-restaurant and digital via Cashstar), and the UNO Extras loyalty program (powered by Paytronix). Pricing is unit-based with periodic limited-time offers ($10 Deep Dish, $10 Thin Crust, $2 margaritas) and the UNO Now, UNO Later hybrid dine-in/take-home program (Signature pastas from $12.99). Distribution spans company-operated stores, online ordering via UNO's web/mobile apps, third-party delivery (DoorDash, Grubhub), gift card retail, catering inquiry funnels, and CPG wholesale. Customers are segmented horizontally across individual families, motor coach tour groups, and dietary-restricted diners (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-sensitive), with no single named customer representing material concentration. Leadership is currently headed by CEO Frank Guidara with Aaron D. Spencer serving as Chairman Emeritus.

Name

Uno Chicago Grill

Legal name

Uno Restaurants, LLC

Website

https://unos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pizza Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Services & Catering (On-site/Corporate Dining/Vending) (IMAIAAAE)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Pizza restaurant chain
• Deep dish pizza
• Restaurant franchise
• Consumer packaged foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant dine-in and takeout sales: Revenue from company-owned and operated Uno Pizzeria & Grill restaurants, including dine-in service, takeout, and delivery orders placed directly or online. Covers the full menu including deep dish pizza, thin crust, pasta, burgers, salads, and beverages.
2. Franchise fees and royalties: UNO franchises its brand to franchisees who operate their own Uno locations. The company conducts re-franchising initiatives, selling company-owned restaurants to franchise groups. The Bastian Restaurant Group (MVPizza, LLC) acquired 8 company-owned restaurants in Maryland and Virginia as part of a re-franchising program.
3. Catering and group sales: UNO offers catering menus including party platters, combo platters, and individual boxed meals for groups. Also operates group tour sales for motor coach tours. Revenues generated through dedicated group sales pages and restaurant bookings.
4. Uno Foods consumer packaged goods: Uno Foods is a consumer packaged foods business that supplies airlines, movie theaters, hotels, airports, travel plazas, schools, and supermarkets with both frozen and refrigerated private-label foods and UNO branded products.
5. Gift cards: UNO sells physical gift cards at restaurant locations and eGift Cards via its digital platform (Cashstar). Gift cards are valid at Uno Pizzeria & Grill, Uno Chicago Grill, Pizzeria Uno, Pizzeria Due, Uno Due Go and Su Casa Mexican locations.
6. UNO Extras loyalty program: UNO Extras is a loyalty rewards program where members earn free pizzas and rewards. Membership is free. While the program itself drives revenue through increased visit frequency and engagement, it also collects customer data and serves as a marketing tool.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Uno Chicago Grill operates a system of over 200 full-service company-owned and franchised Uno Pizzeria & Grill restaurants serving Chicago-style pizza (deep dish, thin crust, flatbreads, Detroit-style), pasta, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, salads, appetizers, and full bar service for dine-in, takeout, and delivery. The company also runs Uno Dúé Go (fast-casual) and Uno Express (quick-service) concepts, and operates Uno Foods, a consumer packaged foods business supplying frozen and refrigerated pizza products to airlines, movie theaters, hotels, airports, travel plazas, schools, and supermarkets.

Product overview

Uno Pizzeria & Grill is a restaurant chain that operates as a single unified brand offering multiple pizza formats and full dining services. The core product is Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, invented in 1943, complemented by Chicago Thin Crust Pizza (launched 2016), Flatbreads, and the recently added Detroit Style Pizzas. The restaurant also offers a full menu of burgers, sandwiches, pasta, steak, seafood, chicken, salads, appetizers, and desserts. Supplementary offerings include catering/party platters, a Kids Menu, Gluten-Free and Vegan menus (part of the Love All, Feed All initiative), UNO Extras loyalty program, gift cards, cooking classes, and Bar UNO craft beer service. The company also operates Uno Dué Go (fast-casual) and Uno Foods (consumer packaged foods). The UNO Now, UNO Later program combines dine-in and take-home offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $4 million donated to local non-profit organizations through the Dough Rai$er program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beyond MeatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2019UNO partnered with Beyond Meat to offer plant-based menu items as part of the Love All, Feed All menu. The Classic Beyond Burger features Beyond Meat's plant-based burger. The partnership supports UNO's strategy to reach a broader audience including vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians.
• Daiya FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2019UNO partnered with Daiya Foods to provide Daiya vegan cheese for the hand-stretched thin crust vegan pizza on the Love All, Feed All menu. The partnership enables UNO to offer fully vegan pizza options.
• The Cypress GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 October 2018The Cypress Group served as the exclusive financial advisor to UNO in the re-franchising of company-owned restaurants, providing valuation services, identifying potential acquirers, structuring deal terms, and advising throughout the transaction process.
• Paytronix Systems, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationPaytronix provides the mobile application experience for UNO's iOS and Android apps. The app is published by Paytronix and facilitates online ordering, loyalty program participation (UNO Extras), and location-based features. Customer data is securely managed by Paytronix for customer transactions and reward program participation.
• Motor coach and tour associations (ABA, NTA, SYTA, OMCA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUNO is a member of the American Bus Association (ABA), National Tour Association (NTA), Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA), and Outdoor Marketing Association (OMCA). These partnerships support group tour sales and motor coach tour business.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• California Pizza Kitchen: Full-service pizza-centric casual dining chain offering thin crust, traditional, and craft pizzas alongside a broader menu. Closely comparable to UNO on service model, menu breadth, and target customer (families and casual diners seeking a premium pizza experience).
• Lou Malnati's: Chicago-based deep dish pizza specialist with multiple locations across Illinois and a national shipping business. The most direct competitor in UNO's namesake product (Chicago deep dish) and home geography.
• Giordano's: Chicago stuffed deep dish pizza chain with restaurants across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and other states. Directly competes with UNO on the same deep dish format and Midwest footprint.
• Gino's East: Iconic Chicago deep dish pizza brand with locations in Chicago and additional markets. Competes head-to-head with UNO in the deep dish category and shares the heritage brand positioning.
• Jet's Pizza: Detroit-style pizza chain with hundreds of locations across multiple U.S. states. Highly comparable to UNO on multi-format pizza offering (Detroit-style now on UNO's menu) and franchise-led growth model.
• Marco's Pizza: Franchised pizza chain with hundreds of locations emphasizing quality ingredients (fresh dough, proprietary cheese blend). Comparable to UNO on franchise-led growth, ingredient-forward positioning, and dine-in/takeout mix.
• Round Table Pizza: West Coast-based franchise pizza chain offering dine-in, takeout, and delivery with a premium ingredient story. Comparable to UNO on full-service pizza restaurant model, family-friendly positioning, and franchise-heavy footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Pizza Hut: Yum! Brands-owned pizza QSR giant with thousands of global locations. While primarily limited-service, Pizza Hut overlaps with UNO on dine-in casual pizza occasions and competes for share of consumer pizza occasions.
• Domino's Pizza: Largest U.S. pizza chain by unit count and digital ordering leader. Competes with UNO on delivery occasions and broader consumer pizza spend despite a different service model.
• Papa John's: National pizza QSR chain with dine-in, carryout, and delivery. Overlaps with UNO on casual pizza occasions and competes for franchise growth capital and consumer mindshare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unochicagogrill
• Facebookfacebook.com/uno-chicago-grill
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uno-chicago-grill
• Instagraminstagram.com/unopizzeriaandgrill

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Uno Chicago Grill