Aurelio's Pizza

Last updated
Aurelio's Pizza Inc.
Company type Franchised
Industry Restaurants, Pizza
Founded1959;65 years ago (1959) in Homewood, Illinois
Headquarters Homewood, Illinois, USA
Website www.aureliospizza.com

Aurelio's Pizza is an Illinois restaurant chain which centers its business around the thin crust variety of Chicago-style pizza. [1] Aurelio's Pizza has three corporate owned stores and 37 franchised locations in six states. Aurelio's Pizza is the oldest Chicago pizza franchise restaurant, franchising since 1974.

Contents

History

James Aurelio founded Macomb, Illinois' first pizza restaurant, The Italian Village, in 1952. [2] In the mid-1950s, one of James' nephews, Joe Aurelio Jr., came to Macomb to work in the restaurant. Joe eventually moved back home to the Chicago area in 1959 and his cousin Louis Gaetano became co-owner of The Italian Village.

Joe then founded his own pizza restaurant, named Aurelio's. This was a small, four table restaurant on Ridge Rd. in Homewood. [3] Both Aurelios specialized in a distinctive thin crust pizza that was sliced in "Chicago style" square pieces. The company's slogan is "Aurelio's is Pizza!"

When James Aurelio died, Louis Gaetano sold The Italian Village and it became an Aurelio's Pizza franchise. The chain's main competitors are Rosati's Pizza, Nancy's Pizza, and Home Run Inn, as well as many smaller family-owned establishments. The son of James Aurelio, Larry Aurelio, subsequently started a new pizza chain named Larry A's. [4]

The chain's specialties are its thin-crust pizza and "calabrese," known by most as a calzone.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza</span> Italian dish with a flat dough-based base and toppings

Pizza is an Italian dish consisting of a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Hut</span> American multinational restaurant chain

Pizza Hut, LLC is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. The chain, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 19,866 restaurants worldwide as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago-style pizza</span> Styles of pizza developed in Chicago, including deep-dish pizza

Chicago-style pizza is pizza prepared according to several styles developed in Chicago. It can refer to both the well-known deep-dish or stuffed pizzas and the lesser-known thin-crust tavern-style pizzas more popular with locals. The pan in which deep-dish pizza is baked gives the pizza its characteristically high edge, which provides ample space for large amounts of cheese and a chunky tomato sauce. Chicago-style deep-dish pizza may be prepared in the deep-dish style and as a stuffed pizza. Chicago-style thin-crust pizza dough is rolled for a thinner crispier crust than other thin-crust styles. The thin-crust pizza is cut in squares instead of slices, and is also referred to as a "tavern-style" pizza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis–style pizza</span> Regional pizza style

St. Louis–style pizza is a type of pizza in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas. The pizza has a thin cracker-like crust made without yeast, topped sweet tomato sauce and Provel cheese, and is cut into squares or rectangles rather than wedges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uno Pizzeria & Grill</span> American franchised pizza restaurant chain

Uno Pizzeria & Grill, or more informally as Uno’s, is a United States-origin franchised pizzeria restaurant chain under the parent company Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation. Uno Pizzeria and Grill is best known for its Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Ike Sewell opened the first Pizzeria Uno in 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California-style pizza</span> Style of single-serving pizza

California-style pizza is a style of pizza that combines New York and Italian thin crust with toppings from the California cuisine cooking style. Its invention is generally attributed to chef Ed LaDou, and Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. Wolfgang Puck, after meeting LaDou, popularized the style of pizza in the rest of the country. It is served in many California cuisine restaurants. California Pizza Kitchen, Round Table Pizza, Extreme Pizza, and Sammy's Woodfired Pizza are four major pizza franchises associated with California-style pizza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sbarro</span> American pizzeria chain

Sbarro, LLC is an American fast food restaurant that specializes in New York–style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine. In 2011, the company was ranked 15th in foreign sales among U.S.-based quick-serve and fast-casual companies by QSR Magazine. In 2008, Sbarro was rated the No. 1 Quick Service Restaurant in the Italian segment by Entrepreneur magazine. However, diners and critics have criticized the quality of the food, with some suggesting a link between food quality and the company's two bankruptcies. Sbarro has over 600 locations in 28 countries. Sbarro stores are located in shopping malls, airports, service areas, and college campuses, as well as in The Pentagon, American naval bases, and casinos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Porchetta</span> Italian restaurant franchise in Australia and New Zealand

La Porchetta is an Australian and New Zealand restaurant franchise which has become one of the biggest Italian restaurant chains in those countries. There are about 38 outlets now in Australia and New Zealand which are owned by franchisees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan pizza</span> Pizza baked in a pan

Pan pizza is a pizza baked in a deep dish pan or sheet pan. Turin-style pizza, Italian tomato pie, Sicilian pizza, Chicago-style pizza and Detroit-style pizza may be considered forms of pan pizza. Pan pizza also refers to the thick style popularized by Pizza Hut in the 1960s. The bottoms and sides of the crust become fried and crispy in the oil used to coat the pan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Malnati's Pizzeria</span> American pizza chain

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is an American Chicago-style pizza restaurant chain headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It was founded by the son of Rudy Malnati, who was instrumental in developing the recipe for Chicago-style pizza, and it has become one of the Chicago area's best-known local lines of pizza restaurants. Lou Malnati's operates a division of its company called Lou Malnati's Presents Tastes of Chicago, a partnership with Portillo's Restaurants and Eli's Cheesecake, which ships Chicago-style cuisine nationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gino's East</span> American deep-dish pizza chain

Gino's East is a Chicago-based restaurant chain specializing in deep-dish pizza. Two cab drivers opened the original location in 1966.

Giordano's is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in Chicago-style stuffed pizza. Brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio founded Giordano's in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. The pizzeria has since expanded to over 65 locations in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The chain has also expanded to offer catering and ship frozen pizzas in the United States.

Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc. operates Italian-based Chicago-style restaurants in Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri which specialize in Chicago-style cuisine. They have operated since 1990, when they took over the popular Nancy's Pizza chain of pizzerias. Nancy's itself was started in 1974 by Nancy and Rocco Palese. CFS, Inc. operates as a franchisor for Nancy's Pizzerias and Doughocracy Pizza and Brews. CFS, Inc. launched Doughocracy Pizza + Brews in 2015, a fast casual pizza place that gives customers the "Freedom to Choose" their own toppings on a hand stretched pizza crust that can be paired with local craft beers. There is one Doughocracy restaurant, in Geneva, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retail Food Group</span> Australian franchising company

Retail Food Group (Australia) Limited, often abbreviated as RFG, is an ASX-listed company and Australian franchisor based in Robina, Queensland. It owns numerous companies including Gloria Jean's Coffees, Brumby's Bakeries, Donut King, Michel's Patisserie, Di Bella Coffee, The Coffee Guy, Café2U, Pizza Capers and Crust Pizza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza in the United States</span> American cuisine variant

Pizza arrived in the United States in the early 20th century along with waves of Italian immigrants who settled primarily in the larger cities of the Northeast, such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore. After American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II, pizza and pizzerias rapidly grew in popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad City–style pizza</span> Style of pizza

Quad City–style pizza is a variety of pizza originating in the Quad Cities region of the states of Illinois and Iowa in the United States.

Rotolo’s Pizzeria is an American pizza restaurant chain that was established in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a single pizzeria. It operates as both company-owned stores and franchises under the banner of Rotolo's Pizzeria and Rotolo's Craft and Crust, with 32 locations in 6 states. Its headquarters are in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

References

  1. Gibson, K.; Lowndes, P.B.; Cook, A. (2004). The Slow Food Guide to Chicago: Restaurants, Markets, Bars. Slow Food Guide to Chicago: Restaurants, Markets, Bars. Chelsea Green Publishing Company. p. 251. ISBN   978-1-931498-61-6 . Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  2. "McDonough County This Week" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  3. McNeil, D.; Sherman, E. (2009). The Great Book of Chicago Sports Lists. Running Press. p. 57. ISBN   978-0-7624-3923-2 . Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  4. "About Larry A's" . Retrieved May 1, 2017.