The Pie Pizzeria

What The Pie Pizzeria does

The Pie Pizzeria is a 100% family-owned and locally operated restaurant chain founded in 1980 by the Palmer family in Salt Lake City, Utah, evolving from an earlier establishment called Bimbos that operated at the same University of Utah-adjacent site since 1965. The company operates six dine-in, take-out, and delivery locations spanning Ogden to South Jordan, Utah, with a core product line of handcrafted pizzas (12-inch to 23-inch sizes), specialty pies, calzones, pasta, salads, wings, and desserts, supported by dedicated gluten-free and vegan menus. The underlying operating technology is conventional restaurant POS with a web-based online ordering platform (currently live at two locations with planned rollout) and a nationwide pizza-by-mail service shipping flash-frozen 14-inch pies via UPS Next Day for $9 per box plus shipping. The proprietary ApocalyptDough® spicy crust (developed over 1.5 years and 100+ batches) and a PCA supply partnership for 100% locally manufactured pizza boxes provide vertical differentiation versus local competitors. The company is privately held with no external investors, subsidiaries, or public disclosures; revenue figures are not available, though headcount is reported at 101-250 employees across the six locations.

The business model is straightforward transaction-fee restaurant sales with four revenue streams: dine-in restaurant service, take-out and delivery (phone and online), large group/catering orders for corporate and event clients, and the nationwide pizza-by-mail gift channel. Pricing is unit-based with pizzas starting at $11.99 for a 12-inch cheese pie and ranging up to $32.99 for a 23-inch Giant, plus topping premiums ($1.75-$6.75 depending on size and topping category) and gluten-free surcharges. Customer segments are horizontal and consumer-facing: University of Utah students and young adults are the primary persona, supplemented by large group/catering customers, consumers with dietary restrictions (gluten-free, vegan), and nationwide gift/mail-order buyers. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via physical storefronts, phone/online ordering, and e-commerce shipping; there is no third-party delivery platform integration disclosed, no mobile app, and no API or technology partner integrations.

The Pie's go-to-market relies on word-of-mouth, sustained earned media recognition (over 44 years as 'Utah's best pizza' via reader polls, plus a 7th-best-in-nation ranking from Citysearch.com), a distinctive college-hangout atmosphere (graffiti-covered walls, candlelit rooms, live webcams), active community involvement and non-profit donations, and a website and Facebook presence supplemented by email VIP newsletters and review platforms (TripAdvisor, Yelp). Marketing spend appears minimal, with brand-building driven by 46 years of operational consistency and product quality rather than paid acquisition. The Pie holds a registered trademark on ApocalyptDough® and was previously known as Bimbos.

Name

The Pie Pizzeria

Legal name

The Pie Pizzeria

Website

https://thepie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Pie Pizzeria is a family-owned Utah restaurant chain operating six dine-in, take-out, and delivery locations serving handcrafted pizzas, pasta, salads, and specialty menus to consumers, with a nationwide mail-order gift pizza channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Pizza Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)

Keywords

• Pizza restaurants
• Casual dining
• Pizza delivery
• Catering services
• Italian cuisine

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 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: Traditional restaurant dining experience at six Utah locations with full menu offerings including specialty pizzas, pasta, salads, wings, and desserts
2. Take-Out and Delivery: Phone and online ordering for take-out and delivery at select locations with minimum order requirements and delivery fees
3. Large Group/Catering Orders: Bulk orders for corporate events, gatherings, and special occasions with phone-based ordering and scheduling for delivery
4. Pizza by Mail: Nationwide shipping of flash-frozen, made-to-order pizzas in insulated containers with dry ice via UPS Next Day delivery, with $9 handling fee plus shipping charges

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Pie Pizzeria operates six Utah restaurants serving hand-tossed, made-from-scratch pizzas in multiple sizes alongside pasta, calzones (Zappis), salads, appetizers such as Pull-A-Parts and Buffalo Wings, desserts, and beverages. Offerings span dine-in service, take-out, local delivery, online ordering at select locations, large-group catering, and nationwide pizza-by-mail shipping of flash-frozen pies as gifts. The menu accommodates dietary restrictions through dedicated gluten-free and vegan preparations.

Product overview

The Pie Pizzeria is a single-brand restaurant chain offering handcrafted pizza and Italian-inspired menu items across six Utah locations. The core product is pizza, available as specialty pre-designed pies (El Guapo Pie, Caprese Pie, Buffalo Chicken Ranch, Mountain of Meat, etc.), build-your-own configurations in four sizes, and signature crust options including ApocalyptDough (spicy). The offering extends to dietary accommodations via dedicated gluten-free and vegan menus, appetizers (Pull-A-Parts, Buffalo Wings, garlic bread), pasta dishes, salads, and desserts (Cinn-A-Part, Campfire Calzone). Supporting services include online ordering, nationwide pizza-by-mail shipping, and large group/catering ordering. The company positions itself as old-school artisan pizzeria with made-from-scratch dough (double-proofed 24 hours, hand-tossed), fresh toppings, and no frozen crusts or bagged cheese.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialty Pies

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PCA (Packaging Corporation of America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pie has invested capital in and partnered with PCA to establish local pizza box manufacturing in Utah. This partnership enables The Pie to be the only Utah pizza restaurant using locally manufactured pizza boxes (100% of their boxes), with 80-100% of other Utah pizzerias using boxes manufactured in China and imported through California. The hope is that other Utah pizza restaurants will benefit from this local option.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Blaze Pizza: Fast-casual build-your-own pizza chain with a strong custom-pizza and dietary accommodation narrative (gluten-free, vegan); competes for the same pizza-by-the-slice, customization-oriented customer as The Pie.
• MOD Pizza: Fast-casual custom pizza chain with build-your-own pricing model, gluten-free and vegan options, and a similar value-tier artisan positioning; closest direct competitor on the pizza-fast-casual axis.
• Jet's Pizza: Regional deep-dish and Detroit-style pizza chain with dine-in, carryout, and delivery—similar product architecture (specialty pies, multiple sizes) and a comparable regional mid-size operator profile.
• Marco's Pizza: Mid-size regional pizza chain emphasizing quality ingredients (fresh dough daily, real cheese) and franchise expansion; comparable to The Pie on ingredient-quality positioning and dine-in/delivery channel mix.
• Mountain Mike's Pizza: West Coast regional pizza chain known for hand-tossed dough, family-friendly dining rooms, and multiple crust options—directly comparable to The Pie's traditional sit-down, dough-forward pizza model and its regional multi-unit structure.
• Pieology Pizzeria: Fast-casual build-your-own pizza chain with a comparable customization, dietary-accommodation, and counter-service model; overlaps with The Pie's build-your-own and premium-ingredient value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Papa John's: National pizza QSR incumbent with a delivery-led model and heavy digital/marketing investment; competes with The Pie in the Utah market on delivery, brand spend, and digital ordering infrastructure.
• Domino's: National delivery-led pizza incumbent with industry-leading digital ordering, app loyalty, and aggressive value pricing; sets the delivery benchmark The Pie must compete against in Utah.
• Pizza Hut: Largest national pizza chain with dine-in, carryout, and delivery; competes for the same family/group occasion occasions that The Pie captures through its dine-in experience and large-group catering service.
• Little Caesars: National value-pizza QSR with a carryout-led model; competes with The Pie on price-sensitive occasions and in adjacent trade areas throughout Utah.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThePiePizzeria
• Xx.com/thepiepizzeria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-pie-pizzeria

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 The Pie Pizzeria