Papa Gino's

Papa Gino's

Papa Gino's in Dorchester, Massachusetts (2021)
Company type	Private company
Industry	Restaurants
Founded	Boston, Massachusetts (October 23, 1961; 63 years ago (1961-10-23))
Founder	Michael Valerio (d. 2020)
Headquarters	Dedham, Massachusetts , United States
Number of locations	79
Area served	New England
Key people	Tom Sterrett - CEO,[1][2] Corey Wendland - CFO, Deena McKinley - CXO,[3] Kevin Bentley - VP of Technology & Automation[4]
Products	Fast food Italian-American cuisine Pizza Subs French fries Salad Pasta and more
Revenue	244 million USD (estimate from Zoominfo)
Parent	Wynnchurch Capital
Subsidiaries	D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches
Website	papaginos.com

Papa Gino's, Inc. is a restaurant chain based in Dedham, Massachusetts,^[5][6] specializing in traditional thin crust pizza along with pasta, subs, salads, and a variety of appetizers. As of 2023, there are 79 Papa Gino's locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.^[7]

History

Papa Gino's originated in East Boston, Massachusetts as a single location named "Piece O' Pizza," which opened in 1961. In 1968, the owners, Helen and Michael Valerio, changed the name to "Papa Gino's" and began expanding the business to multiple locations,^[8][9] 220 when they sold the company to a group of investors in 1991.^[10]

In 1997, Papa Gino's bought D'Angelo Sandwich Shops, another Massachusetts-based fast-food outlet, specializing in sandwiches, from prior owner Yum! Brands (then known as PepsiCo Inc.'s Pizza Hut unit).^[11][12] A few months later, executives of a holding company, Papa Gino's Holdings Corporation (later known as PGHC Holdings), bought out the company in a deal financed by Bunker Hill Capital Partners.^[13]

2018 bankruptcy

On September 18, 2018, Bunker Hill Capital Partners ended their investment with PGHC Holdings.^[14] On November 4, 2018, dozens of Papa Gino's locations closed abruptly, including their only location in Maine, at the Auburn Mall, bringing the chain from over 150 locations to 97. Employees were not given advance notice of the closures and were told to apply to other restaurants when they arrived for work at closed stores.^[15] The following day, PGHC Holdings filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that it had reached an agreement in principle to sell its restaurant chains to Wynnchurch Capital.^[16][17]

Post-bankruptcy

On June 14, 2022, it was revealed that Papa Gino’s would be opening a new restaurant for the first time since it emerged from bankruptcy.^[18]

Advertising

Since the late 1990s, the chain has partnered with the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, as well as individual players with the teams such as former Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi replaced kicker Adam Vinatieri as pitchman in the fall of 2006, after Vinatieri was signed by the Indianapolis Colts.^[19] In 2020, Papa Gino's continues to partner with the Providence Bruins, the Worcester Red Sox and Holy Cross. They also partner with many local kids teams in the communities that they serve.

See also

• List of pizza chains of the United States

References

1. "Papa Gino's names two new executives". Nation’s Restaurant News. May 22, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. "Pizza Vet Tapped to Lead Papa Gino's, D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches". QSR. January 17, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
3. "With a Commitment to a Seamless Guest Experience, New England Authentic Eats, LLC Adds Two Executive Roles to Drive Transformative Growth". Restaurantnews.com. March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
4. "Papa Gino's, D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches hires execs to upgrade customer experience". FastCasual.com. February 28, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
5. "Contact Us." Papa Gino's. Retrieved on September 22, 2021. "600 Providence Highway Dedham, MA 02026"
6. Staff writer (June 29, 2018). "Where Is Papa Ginos Corporate Office Headquarters". www.corporateofficeheadquarters.org. Corporate Office HQ. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
7. "Locations." Papa Gino's. Retrieved on December 29, 2022.
8. Abelson, Jenn (March 9, 2007). "Papa Gino's seeks bigger slice of pie". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
9. "Papa Gino's (advertisement)". The Boston Globe. June 30, 1968. p. B-15. Retrieved September 22, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
10. Gaffin, Adam (September 5, 2020). "Michael Valerio, whose pizza place on Bennington Street in East Boston grew into a New England chain, dies". Universal Hub.
11. "Papa Gino's to acquire D'Angelo's Sandwich Shops". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals, Inc. August 13, 1997. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
12. Kooker, Naomi R.; Robin Wood (January 31, 2005). "Papa Gino's parent preps growth outside N.E." Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals, Inc. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
13. "Execs lead buyout of Papa Gino's Holding Corp". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals, Inc. March 28, 2005. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
14. "Bunker Hill Capital Exits PGHC Holdings Inc". Bunker Hill Capital. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
15. "Dozens of New England Papa Gino's (and D'Angelo) locations abruptly shut down". WCVB Channel 5 Boston. November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
16. Sweet, Laurel J. (November 5, 2018). "Papa Gino's selling company, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
17. Maze, Jonathan (January 23, 2019). "Papa Gino's Sale Gets Bankruptcy Court Ok". Financing. www.restaurantbusinessonline.com. Winsight, LLC. Restaurant Business. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
18. Leader, Jonathan Phelps New Hampshire Union (June 14, 2022). "Papa Gino's to start 'new era' with return to Manchester; first new store since mass closings in 2018". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
19. Reed, Keith (September 5, 2006). "Bruschi to replace former Patriots' kicker Vinatieri in Papa Gino's ad". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 11, 2007.

External links

• Official website
• • Historical business data for Papa Ginos Holdings Corp:
  • SEC filings
• Papa Gino's on LinkedIn
• Papa Gino's at Crunchbase
• Papa Gino's on Facebook
• Papa Gino's on Instagram
• Papa Gino's companies grouped at OpenCorporates
• Interview with CEO Tom Sterrett in Boston Business Journal