Cassano's Pizza King, currently
hen?operating under the brand Cassano's, is a
pizzeria
A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza.
A pizzeria may offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then takes the prepared food with them in a pizza box. A pizzeria may deliver food to ...
chain based in
Dayton
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, which produces
Dayton-style pizza. Established on June 4, 1953, by the grocer Victor "Vic" J. Cassano, Sr. (June 4, 1922 – January 1, 2002) 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 (in
Russells Point,
Fairfield and
Sidney), plus a franchise in
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...
, and another in
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...
. The company also operates dozens of Cassano's Pizza Express kiosks in gas stations, convenience stores and hotels, and sells frozen
pizza
Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...
dough under the name Cassano's Fresh Frozen Dough Company.
From the mid-1980s to 1997, the chain operated under the name Cassano's Pizza and Subs, and this branding is still present (as of 2007) on signage and menus at some locations.
In the mid-1970s, Cassano's was ranked by the
National Restaurant Association
The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The associa ...
as one of the top four pizza chains in the United States.
In 2016, ''Cassano's Pizza King'', Ohio Historical Marker, was designated by the
Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...
at
Kettering, Ohio
Kettering is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The city had a population of 57,862 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous suburb in the Dayton metr ...
.
Fare
Cassano's traditional pizza, "Dayton Style Pizza" shares similar characteristics with
St. Louis-style pizza and
tavern-style pizza; it is characterized by its unusually salty, crispy, distinctively flavored thin crust, and is typically cut into small rectangular pieces rather than wedges (party cut instead of pie cut). This style of pizza is also characteristic of Cassano's local rival,
Marion's Piazza, also based in
Dayton
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
which is adjacent to Cassano's base.
Expansion and downsizing
Cassano's franchises have also previously operated in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
,
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, and other U.S. states. The chain had grown to over 100 locations when it was sold to Vic Cassano, Jr. (March 19, 1945 – May 28, 2010), who subsequently sold the company to Greyhound Food Management, Inc. (a subsidiary of
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets.
Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
) in 1986. At the time, the chain had 48 locations, but Greyhound planned a massive expansion, with 100 to 150 new restaurants planned each year in order to compete with
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc., commonly referred to as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware-domiciled and headquartered ...
.
Over an 18-month period, Greyhound briefly opened 33
delivery
Delivery may refer to:
Biology and medicine
*Childbirth
*Drug delivery
*Gene delivery
Business and law
*Delivery (commerce), of goods, e.g.:
**Pizza delivery
** Milk delivery
** Food delivery
** Online grocer
*Deed ("delivery" in contract law), a ...
-only restaurants, using
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
, as a test market. However, the more-expensive Cassano's pizza, which competed well against dine-in restaurants, was too high-priced for the delivery-only market and could not compete against Domino's. Greyhound changed classic menu items and failed to deliver on its promises to refurbish older Cassano's stores and inject fresh capital into marketing.
[Who's Who: Vic Cassano](_blank)
/ref> The planned expansion did not occur beyond Columbus, and the then-chairman of Greyhound, John Teats, ordered every new Cassano's unit to be closed on the same day.
In 1989, Cassano Jr. and Greyhound executive Randy Leasher repurchased the company. Acting on "bad advice", the pair continued to have difficulty with the company. In 1995, the company had 43 restaurants, 13 franchises and 563 employees. Cassano's filed for Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy protection that year. The company's wholesale dough business, which started in 1994, brought Cassano's $3 million in 1998, and Cassano's Pizza Express operations was launched in 1999, but overall business continued to decline, with only 29 restaurants remaining in January 1999.
In May 2000, Leasher resigned as company president without explanation. ''Pizza Marketplace'' later reported the Leasher had been forced out after Cassano Jr. learned Leasher had written a $90,000 company check to himself. In October 2000, following an investigation by the Kettering Police Department (at Cassano Jr.'s behest) and county prosecutors, Leasher pleaded guilty to two charges related to the embezzlement of $700,000 from the company.
Determined to reaffirm the company in Dayton and turn Cassano's around, Cassano Jr. obtained assistance from Mark Heistand, a turnaround consultant at Financial Resource Associates Inc. (KY), and the Tri-State Association for Corporate Renewal (TACR), a nonprofit organization that offers information and assistance to companies involved in crisis situations. In their first year of collaboration, Heistand and Cassano Jr. negotiated with vendors who were owed thousands of dollars, paid off overdue rent, and made cash flow equal to receipts.
More locations had to be closed; only 27 full-service locations remained by mid-2001, at which point the chain began to expand again, growing to 29 restaurants at the end of 2001, 33 by August 2002, and 38 by July 2003. Although the company reported a 28 percent increase in orders for its traditional pizzas between March 2003 and March 2004, and an overall 20 percent-per-year increase in business in the first three years of regrouping, the number of restaurants had dropped to 34 by July 2004.
New growth
A $1 million, call center was created at the company's headquarters in 2004 in order to provide the public with a single phone number through which to order pizza. The call center, one of only six pizzeria chain call centers in the United States, is attributed to a 20 percent growth in Cassano's business in its first year of operation.Call center, profit center , Phone Systems , Pizza Martkeplace
At the time of its opening, Vic Cassano Jr. stated his intention to renovate or relocate every store, and to provide delivery service to the 10 to 15 percent of Dayton-area homes not yet covered.
In 2005, one new restaurant opened, and total sales increased by "double digits", according to Vic Cassano Jr.
In 2006, plans were announced to open four new pizzerias in the Dayton-area suburbs Englewood and Huber Heights, and nearby cities Brookville and Wilmington. It was also announced that the West Carrollton store would be "rebuilt".
In 2007, the chain had 33 locations, and Cassano Jr. announced plans to spend $1 million on machines to upgrade the company's dough operation. Also announced was the intention to add two new stores in the Dayton suburbs of Moraine and Englewood, and to move an existing Englewood store to a new location. Plans for 2008 included replacing the Smithville Road pizzeria and building another store elsewhere.
Vic Cassano Jr. died on May 28, 2010, at age 65.
In 2010, several restaurants in the chain were relocated or renovated, and online ordering capability was added to the company's web site.
Plans were also announced to offer frozen pizzas online.
The company at this time had 500 employees, 32 company-owned locations, and 7 franchise locations.
In early 2011, the chain announced plans to open another location in
Piqua, Ohio
Piqua ( ) is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States, along the Great Miami River. The population was 20,354 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, it is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metro ...
.
[ In late 2011, ''Pizza Today'' magazine ranked the company 81st in the U.S. by gross sales, at $26 million, not counting franchises.] The magazine had ranked the company at #94 the previous year.[
]
Dough sales
Cassano's pizza dough is manufactured at a Kettering facility and flash-frozen before being shipped to restaurants. Since 1994, frozen dough The frozen dough is dough that have been frozen in order to decouple the dough preparation and baking processes of breadmaking (without freezing, the dough must be used quickly once prepared). The frozen dough is used for home baking and by small ...
is also sold under the auspices of Cassano's Fresh Frozen Dough Company to other companies, such as caterers, at wholesale prices.
See also
* List of pizza chains of the United States
References
Further reading
Cassano's Pizza King founder dead at 79
��2002 trade publication article
��2002 trade publication article
��2004 trade publication article
Cassano’s Pizza King: A rise, fall and rebirth
��2006 trade publication article
External links
Cassano's website
{{Restaurants in Ohio
Quincy–Hannibal area
Companies based in Dayton, Ohio
Restaurants in Ohio
Economy of the Midwestern United States
Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Pizza chains of the United States
Restaurants established in 1953
1953 establishments in Ohio