William "Willy" Theisen is a restaurant entrepreneur from Omaha, Nebraska, born in Chicago and raised in Clinton, Iowa. He was the founder and former owner of Godfather's Pizza, [1] a popular pizzeria chain that has locations in over 40 states. Theisen got the idea to start a pizza chain when he was running his own bar called "Wild Willys." He noticed many of his customers carried pizza, from a pizza restaurant next door, into his bar to eat it. Theisen decided to remove the wall separating the two businesses. The first Godfathers opened in 1973. Many locations opened throughout the country and Theisen looked to have a hit on his hands. He sold his interest and ownership in the company in the mid-1980s to Pillsbury and stepped down from operating the company. Pillsbury has long since sold the restaurant chain.
Theisen in 1983 constructed a 20,125 square feet (1,869.7 m2) mansion, at the time the largest mansion in Omaha; he sold the mansion in 1995 to Terry Watanabe, former owner of Oriental Trading Company.[ citation needed ] The mansion was placed back on the market with an asking price of approximately $5 million. The Omaha World-Herald reported that the mansion has been sold and will be removed, with the property to be used for 3-4 smaller houses.[ citation needed ]
In 2009 he opened Pitch Pizzeria in Omaha, his first new pizza restaurant since he sold his interest in Godfather's in the mid-1980s. Unlike Godfather's, Pitch is a coal-fired, thin-crust pizzeria. In 2020, Theisen obtained a Godfather's franchise. [2]
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips is an American fast food seafood restaurant and former chain. At the peak of its popularity in the late 1970s, it had 826 stores. However, as of March 2023, there were only three stand-alone Arthur Treacher's locations remaining. The menu offers fried seafood or chicken, accompanied by chips.
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.
Godfather's Pizza is an American privately owned restaurant chain headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, that operates fast casual Italian franchises and pizza express locations.
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers is an American pizza restaurant chain established in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia as a single pizzeria. It operates as a franchise under the banner of Home Grown Industries, Inc. of Georgia, with 170 locations throughout the United States. Its headquarters are in Atlanta.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, commonly known as Frank Pepe's or simply Pepe's, is a popular pizza restaurant in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, at 163 Wooster Street. Opened in 1925, it is one of the oldest and best known pizzerias in the United States.
Bennigan's is an Irish pub-themed American casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1976 in Atlanta, Georgia by restaurateur Norman E. Brinker as one of America's original casual dining concepts. The chain operated under the restaurant division of Pillsbury for most of its history, until Pillsbury was bought out by the British liquor conglomerate Grand Metropolitan. Due to laws preventing liquor manufacturers from also operating liquor sellers, the chain was sold to Texas-based Metromedia restaurants, until the company filed for bankruptcy in 2008. The chain then went through a series of restructuring and ownership changes until it was purchased by Legendary Restaurant Brands, LLC in 2015. The company is now operating out of Dallas, Texas.
Cassano's Pizza King, currently operating under the brand Cassano's, is a pizzeria chain based in Dayton, Ohio which produces Dayton-style pizza. Established on June 4, 1953, by the grocer Victor "Vic" J. Cassano, Sr. and his mother-in-law Caroline "Mom" Donisi, the company currently (2005) operates 34 Cassano's Pizza King restaurants in the Dayton area, and has three other western Ohio franchises, plus a franchise in Quincy, Illinois, and another in Hannibal, Missouri. The company also operates dozens of Cassano's Pizza Express kiosks in gas stations, convenience stores and hotels, and sells frozen pizza dough under the name Cassano's Fresh Frozen Dough Company.
Grimaldi's Pizzeria is an American pizzeria chain from the New York City area with over 40 restaurants throughout the United States. Its most famous restaurant is under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn at 1 Front Street, next door to its original location. Zagat Survey rated Grimaldi's the No. 1 Pizzeria in New York in 2007. With a carry-out and delivery service model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022 it had 43 restaurants in operation overall. It does not sell slices, only whole pies, which are cooked by coal-fired brick ovens. It also sells wines and appetizers, as well as calzones. Among desserts are cannoli and tiramisu, as well as New York–style cheesecake.
The history of pizza begins in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings.
Mr. Gatti's Pizza is a Southern and Southeastern United States pizza-buffet chain. The corporate offices are in Fort Worth, Texas.
ShowBiz Pizza Place, often shortened to ShowBiz Pizza or ShowBiz, was an American family entertainment center and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It emerged after a separation between Brock and owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre. ShowBiz Pizza restaurants entertained guests through a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows.
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.
Regina Pizzeria, also known as Pizzeria Regina, and originally called Regina Pizza, is a regional pizza chain in New England. The company was founded in 1926 by Luigi D'Auria in Boston's North End neighborhood. It has been run by the Polcari family since 1956. The chain is a part of Boston Restaurant Associates and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Rosenella Winifred Cruciani "Rose" Totino was an American entrepreneur and pizzeria owner whose frozen pizza business co-founded with her husband became the foundation for the Totino's brand. After selling the company to Pillsbury, Totino became their first female corporate vice president.
Pietro's Pizza is a small pizza chain in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1957, the chain grew to about 80 restaurants and changed owners several times before shrinking to only three restaurants. The company is based in Milwaukie, Oregon.
Pizza Haven was an American Seattle-based pizzeria and pizza delivery chain, known as dial-a-pizza, founded in 1958 and opening its first location in the University District, Seattle, near the University of Washington. Pizza Haven was one of the first pizza companies to make deliveries. Restaurant employees used radio phones to relay orders to roving drivers who carried stacks of pizzas in warming ovens in the back of their jeeps and pickup trucks.
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.
La Casa Pizzaria is a family-owned restaurant brand located in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1953, the original La Casa location is the oldest operating pizzeria in Omaha, and is widely considered iconic to the city. Its neon sign depicts the mascot Peppi, and is listed as an Omaha Landmark by the Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. In 2016, Alexander Payne cameoed the restaurant in the film Downsizing. As of 2023, the brand operates 3 restaurants throughout Omaha and has received praise for its unique style of pizza.