D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches facts for kids
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| Industry | Restaurants, Franchising |
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| Founded | Dedham, Massachusetts (1967) |
| Headquarters | |
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Number of locations
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83 |
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Key people
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Tom Sterrett – CEO, Corey Wendland – CFO, Deena McKinley – CXO, Kevin Bentley – VP of Technology & Automation |
| Products | Sandwiches, rice & grain bowls, lobster rolls, salads, wraps, soups |
| Revenue | $244 million (estimate from Zoominfo) |
| Parent | New England Authentic Eats |
D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches is a popular American restaurant chain. It has 83 sandwich shops, mostly in the northeastern United States. You can find them in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. D'Angelo started in Dedham, Massachusetts, way back in 1967. They are famous for their grilled sandwiches. They also serve rice bowls, lobster rolls, salads, wraps, and hot soups. One of their grilled sandwiches, called "Number 9," was even called "the finest fast-food sandwich" by a news company!
History
How D'Angelo Started
In March 1967, two young men, Brian J. McLaughlin and Jay Howland, opened a sandwich shop. It was in Dedham, Massachusetts. They first called it "Ma Riva's Sub Shop." Later, they changed the name to Angelo Sub Shop. Around 1978, the letter "D" was added to the name. People say the "D" stood for "delicious." This change also helped avoid confusion with local Angelo supermarkets.
D'Angelo sold many tasty items. These included salads, Syrian pocket bread, and sub sandwiches. Their most popular sandwich was the steak and cheese sub.
Growing the Business
D'Angelo grew by owning its own supply chain. They had Liberty Bakery, which baked and delivered fresh bread to all their stores. They also owned a distribution center called Progressive Foods. This center delivered all the food supplies to each store every week. Later, they even added a special meat processing plant. This plant shaved about 50,000 pounds of steak each week for their sandwiches!
In the mid-1980s, D'Angelo stores started to team up with other businesses. Many locations added full-service ice cream counters. These first featured Steve's Ice Cream, then later Chip's ice cream.
Changes in Ownership
In 1993, a big company called PepsiCo bought D'Angelo. PepsiCo wanted to make D'Angelo a national brand. They owned other big chains like Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. However, this plan did not happen. At that time, D'Angelo had 173 locations.
After PepsiCo bought D'Angelo, they removed the Chip's ice cream counters. Some restaurants then added full-service Pizza Hut sections. Other locations even added Honey Dew Donuts sections.
In August 1997, Papa Gino's Holdings Corporation bought D'Angelo. They bought it from Tricon Global Restaurants, which was part of PepsiCo. D'Angelo had 203 locations at that time.
Recent Years
On November 4, 2018, many D'Angelo locations suddenly closed. This happened because the parent company faced financial difficulties. In February 2019, the company was sold to Wynnchurch Capital. It now operates under a new name: New England Authentic Eats, LLC.
In January 2020, Tom Sterrett became the president and CEO of New England Authentic Eats LLC. This company owns both D’Angelo and Papa Gino's. On November 2, 2021, D’Angelo announced exciting news. They planned to open new stores again. This was their first expansion plan since their financial challenges.
