History Uno Pizzeria & Grill

1 history

1.1 founding , original locations
1.2 franchising , expansion
1.3 format changes
1.4 bankruptcy
1.5 uno due go

history
founding , original locations

pizzeria uno , due 1 block apart.

the first uno s established in 1943 former university of texas football star ike sewell , friend, former world war ii g.i. ric riccardo, in river north neighborhood of chicago, illinois. sewell intended open mexican restaurant because there wasn t decent mexican restaurant in chicago then.

while sewell , riccardo known owners of original restaurant, 1956 article chicago daily news asserts original deep-dish pizza recipe created chef rudy malnati sr., father of lou malnati. pizzeria uno claims have originated deep dish pizza.

sewell opened 2 additional restaurants in response pizzeria uno s popularity. pizzeria due opened 1 block north of original pizzeria uno location in 1955 (uno , due italian 1 , two). followed launch of su casa, upscale mexican restaurant, in 1965. su casa located adjacent pizzeria due.

franchising , expansion

the interior of pizzeria uno in harmon meadow plaza in secaucus, new jersey.

ike sewell first franchised name , concept of restaurant uno restaurant holdings corporation in 1978 in boston area. beginning 4 restaurants in massachusetts, chain rapidly expanded on next decade. after ike sewell s death in 1990, widow florence sold original properties (uno, due, , su casa) boston-based corporation. ceo aaron spencer promised not tamper pizza @ original locations. ironically, restaurant chain not have major presence in chicago metropolitan area, 1 location in region excluding original uno, due, , su casa restaurants in river north. of july 2017, massachusetts, 23, had uno restaurants.

the company began franchising in 1980. of july 2017 company has 102 uno pizzeria & grill restaurants located in 21 u.s. states plus 1 in district of columbia. regions have been more favorable uno others. east coast/midwest region continues see growth. however, despite aggressive push southern , western markets in 1990s, gains reduced many locations closed. franchises located in honduras, south korea, saudi arabia, , united arab emirates.

entrepreneur magazine ranked 174th in 2003 , 252nd in 2006 in magazine s list of top 500 franchises. in november 2009, company announced after successful pilot of uno express, offers fast food, open @ least 160 new uno express locations throughout 2010 2011.

in addition traditional uno restaurants, uno offers limited menu (mostly pizzas) @ stadiums, service plazas, , airports. uno-branded pizzas, both thin-crust , deep-dish, available in both fresh , frozen forms in many supermarkets.

format changes

chicago-style deep dish pizza original pizzeria uno location.



the location @ 3030 west lincoln avenue in anaheim, california. picture shows karaoke stage in foreground.

starting in 1994, uno s broadened menu encompass other dishes. uno s kitchens updated, adding sauté stations, grills, , fryers, , company invested heavily in training.

in 1996, franchise s beverage list expanded, , 1999 portion size, reflecting trend seen in industry customers buying fewer larger drinks. new locations larger , featured chicago warehouse look.

in 1997, pizzeria uno changed name pizzeria uno, chicago bar & grill; later simplified name uno chicago grill.

the menu, updated again in 2005, still includes several of restaurant s traditional specialties, particularly deep dish pizza. in tradition of chicago s speakeasies, more attention paid bar. uno s drink list features dozen wines , number of specialty drinks, including frozen, mixed , nonalcoholic options.

the expanded menu , format changes not made @ company s original chicago locations (pizzeria uno , pizzeria due).

bankruptcy

uno restaurant holdings corp. closed 16 of restaurants , filed chapter 11 protection on january 20, 2010. company s initial stated intention @ time of bankruptcy filing convert $142 million of senior secured notes due 2011 new equity of company after emergence chapter 11. emerged bankruptcy on july 26, 2010, after restructuring eliminate $14.2 million in annual interest payments , reduce total debt $176.3 million $40 million.

uno due go

the company launched fast casual spinoff, called uno due go, in 2008. new restaurant chain features pizza, sandwiches, salads, , bakery items. there 4 locations of april 15, 2016, in airports , universities, 1 in downtown boston, compared more 140 locations traditional pizzeria uno restaurants.