Caruso’s Pizza

What Caruso’s Pizza does

Caruso's Pizza is a privately held, family-owned single-location pizzeria operating at 9576 Potter Rd, Des Plaines, Illinois. Founded around 2011, the restaurant serves local residents and families with dine-in, takeout, and delivery services. The core product portfolio centers on Chicago-style pizza varieties—thin crust, original pan, and stuffed pizzas—alongside a broad Italian-American menu including pasta dishes (lasagna, mostaccioli, fettuccine Alfredo), sandwiches (Italian beef, cheesy beef, chicken parmigiana), appetizers, wings, salads, calzones, and desserts (tiramisu, cannoli, cheesecake). Menu prices range from $1.89 for soda to $27.49 for the Caruso's Special Stuffed Pizza.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer transaction model with pay-as-you-go unit pricing. Digital ordering infrastructure is provided through Slice, a third-party online ordering platform with which Caruso's has maintained a 15-year partnership. Slice supplies the e-commerce website, iOS/Android mobile app, order management, and payment processing, while Caruso's handles all food preparation. A 5% online-order discount incentivizes digital channel use. The restaurant maintains 7 employees and operates 10 hours daily (12:45 PM–10:45 PM). There is no B2B sales motion, no enterprise offering, no franchise system, and no disclosed technology stack beyond the Slice platform integration.

Revenue is generated entirely through per-order food and beverage sales to local consumers in the Des Plaines area. Delivery operates at 60–75 minute estimated times, while pickup is 30–45 minutes. The business is an independent, privately held company with no disclosed parent company, no institutional investment, no subsidiaries, and no expansion beyond its single location. The company has no disclosed AI capabilities, patents, trademarks, regulatory actions, or certifications.

Name

Caruso’s Pizza

Website

https://carusospizzadesplaines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Caruso's Pizza is a privately held, family-owned single-location pizzeria in Des Plaines, Illinois, serving local residents with dine-in, takeout, and delivery. It offers Chicago-style pizza varieties and a full Italian-American menu via the Slice online ordering platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pizza Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Pizza restaurant
• Italian cuisine
• Food delivery
• Chicago-style pizza
• Takeout and dine-in

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and beverage sales: Restaurant generates revenue through direct food and beverage sales to consumers. Customers pay per menu item at time of order. Mix includes pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, appetizers, wings, salads, desserts, and beverages. Transaction-based model with no recurring revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Caruso's Pizza operates a single-location pizzeria in Des Plaines, Illinois, selling Chicago-style pizzas (thin crust, pan, and stuffed) along with Italian-American fare including pasta, appetizers, wings, sandwiches, salads, seafood, ribs, desserts, and beverages. Customers can dine in, pick up orders (30-45 min), or receive delivery (60-75 min), with online ordering fulfilled through the Slice platform and mobile app.

Product overview

Caruso's Pizza is a single-location pizzeria restaurant in Des Plaines, IL offering dine-in, takeout, and delivery services. The core product portfolio centers on pizza varieties including Thin Crust, Original Pan, and Chicago Stuffed styles, with Build-Your-Own options and specialty pizzas like Caruso's Special, Gyros Pizza, and Veggie Special. The offering extends to complementary food categories including Appetizers, Wings, Pasta dishes (Lasagna, Mostaccioli, Fettuccine Alfredo, Ravioli), Seafood/Chicken/Ribs entrees, Salads, Calzones, Sandwiches (including Italian Beef and Cheesy Beef), Desserts (Tiramisu, Cannoli, Cheesecake), and Beverages. The restaurant operates through Slice's online ordering platform for digital orders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thin Crust Pizza Build-Your-Own Thin Crust Cheese Pizza and specialty thin crust varieties including Heart-Shaped, Gyros, Chicken Alfredo, Caruso's Special, Veggie Special, Meat Lovers, Hawaiian, BBQ Chicken, Chicago Classic, Greek, Classic Margherita, and a 14-inch Gluten Free option, targeting local customers seeking thin-crust Chicago-style pizza.
• Original Pan Pizza Pan-cooked pizza with flaky crust, pizza sauce, choice of toppings, and cheese on top, including Original Pan Cheese Pizza, Sausage Pan Pizza, and Caruso's Special Pan Pizza varieties, targeted at local customers preferring pan-style pizza.
• Chicago Stuffed Pizza Pan-style stuffed pizza with flaky crust loaded with cheese, an additional thin layer of crust, and topped with more pizza sauce, including Stuffed Cheese Pizza, Sausage Stuffed Pizza, and Caruso's Special Stuffed Pizza varieties, targeted at fans of Chicago-style deep-dish stuffed pizza.
• Appetizers Assorted appetizers including Bosco Breadsticks, Pizza Bread, Garlic Bread, Cheesy Garlic Bread, French Fries, Cheese Fries, Jalapeno Poppers, Pizza Puffs, Onion Rings, Cheese Sticks, Breaded Mushrooms, Zucchini Sticks, Veggie Platter, Toasted Ravioli, Battered Cauliflower, Homemade Soup, Chicken Tenders, and Side of Cole Slaw, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.
• Wings Traditional Jumbo Wings and Boneless Wings available in Garlic Parmesan, BBQ, Mild, Buffalo Hot, or Mango Habanero flavors, served with Ranch or Blue Cheese, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.
• Pasta Pasta dishes including Homemade Baked Lasagna, Spaghetti, Mostaccioli, Baked Mostaccioli, Fettuccine Alfredo, Ravioli, Macaroni and Cheese, Manicotti, Tortellini, Chicken Parmesan Dinner, and Eggplant Parmesan Dinner, served with Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Bread, for local pasta customers.
• Seafood, Chicken and Ribs Main dishes including Baby Back BBQ Ribs Dinner, Perch Dinner, Cod Fish Dinner, Shrimp Basket Dinner, Jumbo Shrimp By The Pound, and Chicken Tenders Dinner, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.
• Salads Garden Salad with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, black olives and onions, and Caesar Salad with iceberg lettuce, croutons, and shredded Parmesan Cheese, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.
• Calzones Calzones available baked or fried with choice of ingredients, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers seeking a stuffed, folded pizza-style item.
• Sandwiches Various sandwiches including Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Chicken Sandwich, Homemade Italian Beef Sandwich, Cheesy Beef Sandwich, BBQ Beef Sandwich, Italian Sausage Sandwich, Combo Sandwich, Rib Eye Steak Sandwich, Fish Fillet Sandwich, Homestyle Meatball Sandwich, Cheesy Meatball Sandwich, Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwich, and Chicken Parmigiana Sandwich, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.
• Desserts Dessert items including Tiramisu, Cannoli, Cheesecake (Plain, Strawberry, White Chocolate Raspberry or Oreo), Chocolate Cake, and Jumbo Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.
• Beverages Soda beverages, for dine-in, pickup, or delivery customers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SlicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCaruso's Pizza is powered by Slice for online ordering. Slice provides the e-commerce platform, mobile app (iOS/Android), order management, and payment processing. This is a 15-year partnership. Customers can order through Slice website or app with 5% online discount. Slice handles the technology infrastructure while Caruso's handles food preparation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Rosati's Pizza: Chicago-based pizza chain offering thin crust, double dough, and deep-dish pizza with full Italian menu and franchise model. Direct competitor in the Chicago suburban pizza segment with a comparable dine-in/takeout/delivery model.
• Lou Malnati's Pizzeria: Iconic Chicago-area pizza chain known for deep-dish and pan pizza with extensive delivery and carryout operations. Highly comparable product portfolio (pan pizza, Italian beef, salads, pasta) and serves the same Chicago suburbs customer base as Caruso's.
• Jet's Pizza: Detroit-based pizza chain specializing in deep-dish square pizza with strong Midwest presence and delivery-centric model. Comparable on pizza-focused menu, delivery/pickup service model, and Chicago-area footprint.
• Giordano's: Chicago-based restaurant chain specializing in Chicago-style stuffed deep-dish pizza, pizza, and Italian entrees. Directly comparable to Caruso's on product (stuffed pizza, thin crust, pasta) and customer base (Chicago-area families, dine-in/takeout/delivery).
• Nancy's Pizza: Chicago-based pizza chain credited with inventing stuffed pizza, serving thin crust, stuffed, and traditional pizza with Italian sides. Direct product overlap with Caruso's stuffed pizza line and shared Chicago-area customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Pizza Hut: Largest national pizza chain in the US with dine-in, carryout, and delivery across the Chicago market. Competes directly with Caruso's for pizza delivery and pickup orders, with far greater scale, marketing budget, and delivery infrastructure.
• Domino's Pizza: Global pizza delivery leader with strong Chicago-area presence and proprietary digital ordering platform. Direct competitor on delivery speed and online ordering, with technology investment that Caruso's cannot match at its scale.
• Papa John's Pizza: Major national pizza chain with significant Chicago-area footprint, competing for delivery and carryout orders. Comparable product focus on pizza with similar price points and a digital-first ordering experience.

Regional players

• Pequod's Pizza: Chicago-area pizzeria famous for its caramelized deep-dish crust, with locations concentrated in the Chicago suburbs. Comparable Chicago-style pizza product and suburban Chicago customer base, though more concentrated in dine-in than delivery.

Others

• Slice: Online ordering platform powering independent pizzerias' digital orders, including Caruso's 15-year partnership. Not a competitor but an ecosystem enabler whose commerce, app, and payment infrastructure Caruso's depends on for digital sales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caruso%E2%80%99s-pizza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Caruso’s Pizza