Dions
Dion's is a privately held, regional pizza restaurant chain founded in 1978 in Albuquerque, operating 30+ company-owned dine-in and carry-out locations across New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. It serves families and individual consumers with scratch-made pizza, salads, and subs, supported by a centralized commissary and dedicated catering, mobile ordering, and community programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Dions does
Dion's, legally Peter Defries Corporation d/b/a Dion's, is a privately held regional pizza restaurant chain founded in 1978 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company operates 30+ company-owned dine-in and carry-out locations across three U.S. states — New Mexico (concentrated in Albuquerque and extending to Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Roswell, Clovis, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo and Los Lunas), Colorado (Colorado Springs, Aurora, Commerce City) and Texas (Lubbock, El Paso). Its core menu comprises handmade pizzas (Original and Gourmet crusts, gluten-free option), made-to-order salads, submarine sandwiches, and bottled signature Ranch and Green Chile Ranch dressings; revenue is complemented by catering services, gift cards, and branded merchandise through the online Fan Shop.
The operating model is anchored by a centralized 53,000 sq ft Commissary and Bakery (expanded in 2023) that produces all sauces, dressings, baked goods and dough — the latter never frozen — for distribution to every location, with proprietary in-house recipes including a custom Bonta Pizza Sauce blend, signature Ranch formulations, and a custom green chile blend sourced locally from Bueno Foods. Ordering is supported by a proprietary mobile app (iOS and Android, launched 2019), web-based online ordering (added 2010), DoorDash third-party delivery at most non-Albuquerque markets, and a dedicated catering sales team (established 2019) handling group orders at an average of $6 per person.
Pricing is menu-based unit pricing across dine-in, carry-out and catering with no couponing strategy; gift cards and merchandise are sold online. The customer base is overwhelmingly long-tail individual consumers and families seeking scratch-made pizza in a casual setting, augmented by corporate and event catering buyers. Distribution is entirely company-owned retail plus third-party delivery, with no franchising. The company's growth model is gradual geographic expansion from an Albuquerque base into adjacent Southwestern markets, layered with community-engagement marketing (Club Read, Chapter One, Community Grants) that functions as a long-term brand moat in core markets.
Dions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dions
- Legal name
- Peter Defries Corporation d/b/a Dion's
- Website
- https://dions.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Dion's is a privately held, regional pizza restaurant chain founded in 1978 in Albuquerque, operating 30+ company-owned dine-in and carry-out locations across New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. It serves families and individual consumers with scratch-made pizza, salads, and subs, supported by a centralized commissary and dedicated catering, mobile ordering, and community programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pizza Restaurant Chain / Quick-Service Restaurant
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)
Keywords
Where Dions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices31 records
Markets served
Dions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Dining and Carry-Out: In-store and carry-out pizza, salads, subs, and beverages across 30+ restaurant locations in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas.
- Catering Services: Corporate and party catering with pizza, subs, salads, and extras at an average price of $6/person. Delivery available for orders over $200 with 24-hour notice. Catering team established 2019.
- Third-Party Delivery (DoorDash): DoorDash integration for delivery orders at select locations (Colorado, Las Cruces, Lubbock, Los Lunas, Santa Fe, Roswell, Clovis, El Paso).
- Digital Ordering (App and Online): Mobile app (iOS and Android) and website for dine-in and carry-out ordering.
- Gift Cards: Physical and e-gift cards sold online and in-store.
- Merchandise (Fan Shop): Branded merchandise sold through the online Fan Shop at shop.dions.com.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual dine-in and carry-out menu items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - per person and menu items |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift cards |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Dions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dion's operates a regional pizza restaurant chain serving handmade pizzas, salads, subs, and beverages from 30+ company-owned dine-in and carry-out locations across New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. Food is prepared from scratch using a centralized 53,000 sq ft Commissary and Bakery that produces proprietary sauces, dressings, dough, and baked goods for all stores. Revenue is generated through in-store dining, carry-out, online and app ordering, DoorDash delivery, catering, gift cards, and branded merchandise.
Product overview
Dion's is a pizza restaurant chain offering handmade pizzas, salads, and subs across New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. The core product portfolio includes Build Your Own pizzas with Original and Gourmet crusts, specialty pizzas (Cheese, Special, Carnivore, 505, Hawaiian, Veggie, Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburger), fresh salads (Chef, Greek, Chicken Pecan, Chicken Caesar, Tossed, Turkey, Crunchy Spinach, Ranch), and submarine sandwiches. The company operates a mobile app and online ordering system for carry-out and dine-in orders, complemented by catering services for events. Additional offerings include gift cards, nutrition calculator tools via Nutritionix integration, and community programs such as Club Read (New Mexico) and Chapter One (Colorado) reading programs, plus community grants for youth development organizations. Dion's also offers educational tours and sells signature Ranch dressings including Green Chile Ranch. The company operates 30+ locations and was founded in 1978, expanding to a new 53,000 sq ft Commissary in 2023.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dion's Pizza Handmade from-scratch pizzas featuring Build Your Own options with Original and Gourmet crusts, plus signature specialty pizzas (Cheese, Special, Carnivore, 505, Hawaiian, Veggie, Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburger). Available in small 12", medium 14", large 16", and gluten-free 12" sizes. Sold to dine-in and carry-out customers.
- Dion's Salads Fresh made-to-order salads including Chef, Greek, Chicken Pecan, Chicken Caesar, Tossed, Turkey, Crunchy Spinach, and Ranch varieties. Sold to dine-in and carry-out customers.
- Dion's Subs Sub sandwiches served with red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, deli mustard, pickle, and choice of side. Options include Turkey & Swiss, Roast Beef & Provolone, Veggie, Italian, Ham & Swiss, Pastrami & Provolone, and Meatball & Provolone. Available in small 6" and large 10" sizes.
- Dion's Catering Catering services for meetings, parties, and events offering pizza, subs, salads, and combination packages at an average price of $6 per person. Delivery is available for orders over $200 with 24-hour notice. Catering orders are coordinated via a dedicated team and a centralized email and phone line.
- Dion's Mobile App Mobile application for ordering dine-in or carry-out pizza, salads, and subs. Available on iOS and Android devices.
- Online Ordering Web-based ordering system (order.dions.com) allowing customers to place dine-in or carry-out orders online for pickup at any Dion's location.
- Dion's Gift Cards
Quantifiable outcome
- Number one in the nation for average unit sales per PMQ's Pizza Power Report
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Dions
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Dions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Dions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Tula's KitchenminorDion's opened a sister restaurant called Tula's Kitchen in 2022. Tula's is a separate restaurant brand operated by the same ownership group, positioned as an innovation-focused sister concept with its own hiring efforts and culture.
- DoorDashminorDoorDash is the third-party delivery partner for Dion's at select locations (Colorado, Las Cruces, Lubbock, Los Lunas, Santa Fe, Roswell, Clovis, and El Paso). Delivery orders are placed through online ordering or the Dion's app. Dion's states it has no current plans to expand delivery beyond these locations.
- Albuquerque IsotopescoreLong-standing partnership for the Club Read summer reading program (over 20 years). The Isotopes and Dion's co-host the program encouraging students to read, with prizes including Isotopes tickets and free pizza slices. The partnership includes an Isotopes stadium stand operated by Dion's (opened 2003) and Isotopes SUB sponsorship.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jet's Pizza: Regional pizza chain known for deep-dish square pizzas and dine-in/carry-out/delivery. Comparable on category and multi-state regional operating model.
- Blaze Pizza: National fast-casual pizza chain with made-to-order, scratch-style pizzas and a similar dine-in/carry-out model. Directly comparable to Dion's on category, service style, and quality positioning.
- MOD Pizza: Fast-casual pizza chain operating assembly-line model pizza with dine-in seating. Comparable to Dion's in category, customer base (families), and unit economics discussion.
- Pieology Pizzeria: Fast-casual build-your-own pizza chain with dine-in service model. Closely comparable to Dion's in category, customization mechanic, and target family/casual-dining customer.
- Marco's Pizza: Regional pizza franchise chain with dine-in, carry-out, and delivery focus. Comparable to Dion's as a regional multi-state pizza operator with mid-tier price positioning.
- Mellow Mushroom: Regional pizza chain offering dine-in with a fuller restaurant experience. Comparable to Dion's in category and community-rooted brand identity across multiple states.
Broad incumbents
- Domino's Pizza: Largest U.S. pizza chain with industry-leading digital ordering and proprietary delivery. Comparable as a pizza category competitor but operates at vastly broader scale and lower price point.
- Pizza Hut: Iconic national pizza chain with dine-in, carry-out, and delivery. Comparable as the legacy pizza category incumbent against which regional chains like Dion's differentiate on quality and freshness.
- Papa John's: National pizza delivery and carry-out chain. Comparable as a national pizza competitor; competes for delivery occasion in markets where Dion's offers DoorDash.
Regional players
- Mountain Mike's Pizza: West Coast regional pizza chain focused on dine-in and family dining. Comparable to Dion's as a regional family-oriented pizza brand with similar dine-in emphasis.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Dions social profiles
Digital presenceDions compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Dions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Dions subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Dions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dions
What does Dions do?
Dion's operates a regional pizza restaurant chain serving handmade pizzas, salads, subs, and beverages from 30+ company-owned dine-in and carry-out locations across New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. Food is prepared from scratch using a centralized 53,000 sq ft Commissary and Bakery that produces proprietary sauces, dressings, dough, and baked goods for all stores. Revenue is generated through in-store dining, carry-out, online and app ordering, DoorDash delivery, catering, gift cards, and branded merchandise.
Is Dions a public or private company?
Dions is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Dions founded?
Dions was founded in 1978. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Dions based?
Dions is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dions make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Retail Dining and Carry-Out is the primary driver. The others are catering Services, third-Party Delivery (DoorDash), digital Ordering (App and Online), gift Cards and merchandise (Fan Shop).
Who are Dions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jet's Pizza, Blaze Pizza, MOD Pizza, Pieology Pizzeria, Marco's Pizza and Mellow Mushroom. Broad incumbents are Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut and Papa John's. Mountain Mike's Pizza is listed as a regional player.
Does Dions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dions.
What industry is Dions in?
Dions's product category is Pizza Restaurant Chain / Quick-Service Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAB, Pizza Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFAAAB, Pizza QSR. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5810.