Gionino's Pizzeria

What Gionino's Pizzeria does

Gionino's Pizzeria, Inc. is a privately held pizza franchise founded in 1989 by brothers Sam and Chuck Owen in Tallmadge, Ohio. The company operates a franchise model with over 60 independently owned and operated locations concentrated entirely within Ohio, spanning counties including Summit, Stark, Cuyahoga, Mahoning, and Trumbull. Its core product is pizza offered in specialty varieties (e.g., Deluxe, Meat, Buffalo Chicken, Mediterranean, Gionino's Best) and build-your-own formats in 9", 12", and 16" sizes, supplemented by a signature Italiano Fried Chicken line, wings, chicken tenders, Italian subs, salads, sides (JoJo's, Gionino Bread), catering, and Pepsi beverages.

The company generates revenue through franchise fees and royalties from its 60+ unit base, direct food sales at franchise locations, and gift cards sold in $10-$100 denominations. Gionino's technology stack centers on a HungerRush-powered e-commerce platform enabling online ordering for pickup/delivery and a customer rewards/loyalty program, with PCI DSS-compliant third-party payment processing and bank-grade SSL security. Marketing is conducted via organic social (Instagram, Facebook), email newsletters, daily deals, social media contests, and television commercials. Each franchise location retains local pricing autonomy and independently manages dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering operations. The corporate entity employs 11-50 staff to support franchise operations, with no institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Gionino's Pizzeria

Legal name

Gionino's Pizzeria, Inc.

Website

https://gioninos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gionino's Pizzeria is a privately held Ohio-based pizza franchise founded in 1989 by brothers Sam and Chuck Owen, operating 60+ independently owned locations serving pizza, fried chicken, wings, and Italian-American fare to local consumers and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pizza Restaurant Chain

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus) (THAFAAAO)

Keywords

• Pizza restaurant chain
• Pizza franchise
• Italian-American food
• Fried chicken menu
• Pizza delivery service

Headquarters

HQ city

Dover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Revenue generated from franchisee fees and ongoing royalties from over 60 franchised locations throughout Ohio
2. Food Sales: Direct revenue from pizza, fried chicken, wings, salads, subs, and other menu items sold to consumers at franchise locations
3. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards in $10, $25, $50 and $100 denominations, available online or at locations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gionino's Pizzeria operates a pizza franchise chain selling specialty and build-your-own pizzas, signature Italiano Fried Chicken, wings, Italian subs, salads, and side items across 60+ franchise locations in Ohio. The company also provides catering services, gift cards, a HungerRush-powered rewards program, online ordering for pickup and delivery, and franchise opportunities for prospective owner-operators.

Product overview

Gionino's Pizzeria is a pizza-centric quick-service restaurant chain offering a single unified product portfolio centered around its core pizza offering with complementary food categories. The product lineup includes: (1) Pizza as the primary product in specialty varieties and build-your-own formats, (2) Italiano Fried Chicken as a signature entrée, (3) Chicken tenders, wings, salads, Italian subs, and side orders as supporting food categories, (4) Beverages, desserts, and catering services as add-ons, (5) Gift cards and a HungerRush-powered rewards program as loyalty/monetization add-ons, and (6) Online ordering and franchise opportunities as business-enabling services. The company operates as a franchise model with over 60 locations throughout Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialty and Build-Your-Own Pizzas

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Donatos Pizza: Columbus, Ohio-founded pizza chain with locations across multiple states. Closely comparable to Gionino's as another Ohio-heritage pizza brand with franchise operations, similar menu positioning, and regional Midwest footprint.
• LaRosa's Pizzeria: Cincinnati, Ohio-based pizza and Italian food chain with dine-in and carryout locations across the Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky tri-state. Comparable as a regional Ohio-anchored Italian-pizza brand with dine-in heritage and similar menu breadth.
• Pizza Inn: Texas-based pizza franchise chain with buffet and dine-in formats. Comparable as a regional pizza franchise system of similar scale, sharing franchise-led unit growth and a multi-format pizza menu.
• Jet's Pizza: Michigan-based pizza franchise known for deep-dish square pizza with regional Midwest multi-state presence. Directly comparable as a pizza QSR franchise competing for similar customer occasions and franchisee candidates.
• Godfather's Pizza: Omaha-based pizza franchise with multi-state Midwest presence. Comparable as a regional pizza franchise chain with similar menu breadth (pizza, breadsticks, sides) and franchise system structure.
• Marco's Pizza: Toledo, Ohio-headquartered pizza franchise with ~1,100+ U.S. locations — the most direct Midwest-based pizza franchise comparable to Gionino's, sharing Ohio roots, franchise-led growth, and a pizza-centric menu.

Broad incumbents

• Pizza Hut: National pizza QSR incumbent operating dine-in, carryout, and delivery under the Yum! Brands portfolio. Comparable as a large-scale pizza competitor with national marketing and a wide Ohio footprint.
• Little Caesars: National pizza QSR known for Hot-N-Ready value pricing and franchise-led expansion. Comparable as a value-positioned pizza competitor with high unit density, putting price pressure on regional players like Gionino's.
• Papa John's Pizza: National pizza delivery/carryout chain with strong digital ordering platform. Comparable as a major national pizza QSR competing for delivery occasions across Ohio markets.
• Domino's Pizza: Largest U.S. pizza QSR chain by unit count and digital ordering share. A broad incumbent competing for the same pizza delivery/carryout occasions across Ohio, with vastly greater digital infrastructure, marketing budget, and delivery scale.

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GioninosPizzeriaInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/gioninos.hq
• Xx.com/GioninosGreen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gionino-s-pizzeria-of-kettering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Gionino's Pizzeria