Donatos Pizza facts for kids
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Donatos Pizza Home Office
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Trade name
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Donatos Pizza |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Founder | Jim Grote |
| Headquarters |
Gahanna, Ohio
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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178 Stores |
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Key people
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Jane Grote Abell (Chairwoman) Tom Krouse (CEO) |
| Products | Pizza, subs, salads |
Donatos Pizza is a popular pizza restaurant chain. It started in Gahanna, Ohio, in the United States. Donatos is known for its special Columbus-style pizza. There are almost 200 Donatos locations across thirteen states, but most of them are in Ohio. You can even find Donatos pizza at big places like Ohio Stadium!
Contents
How Donatos Pizza Started
In 1963, a college student named Jim Grote bought the first Donatos pizza shop. It was in Columbus, Ohio, and he paid $1,300 for it. Jim had simple but strong ideas for his business. He wanted to make the best pizza, hire great people, and treat everyone with kindness. These ideas became the company's promise: To serve the best pizza and make your day a little better.
Growing Across the States
Donatos started to grow in 1991 when the first Donatos Pizza franchise opened in Zanesville, Ohio. A franchise is a business that someone else owns and runs, but it uses the original company's name and way of doing things. Today, there are over 170 Donatos Pizza locations run by different owners. You can find them in thirteen states, including Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida.
A Short Time with McDonald's
In 1999, the big fast-food company McDonald's bought Donatos. McDonald's wanted to try selling pizza. But in 2003, Jim Grote and his daughter, Jane Grote Abell, bought most of Donatos back. McDonald's decided to focus on its main business. For a short time, Donatos even had restaurants in Munich, Germany.
New Partnerships and Ideas
In 2017, Jim Grote, the founder of Donatos, helped a company called BeeHex. This company uses 3D printing to make food! In 2018, Donatos started working with Red Robin, a burger restaurant. Red Robin began selling Donatos pizzas in their restaurants. This partnership grew quickly, and by the end of 2022, Donatos pizzas were available in many Red Robin locations across the country. Donatos makes its special pizza dough in Ohio and sends it fresh to Red Robin kitchens. There, the pizzas are made just like they would be in a Donatos store.
What Kind of Pizza and Food Donatos Offers
Donatos is famous for its thin-crust pizza. They say it's "loaded Edge to Edge" with toppings. Their large pepperoni pizza is especially popular because it has over 100 slices of pepperoni!
Other Delicious Options
Besides their famous thin-crust pizza, Donatos also offers other choices. In 2009, they added a hand-tossed crust option. You can also buy Donatos take-and-bake pizzas in Kroger supermarkets to cook at home. In 2015, they introduced NatureCrust, which is an organic, non-GMO, and vegan crust. Donatos also sells oven-baked subs, fresh salads, chicken wings, and desserts. They even have a spicy pizza called mariachi beef or mariachi chicken pizza, which comes with sour cream.
Donatos on TV: Undercover Boss
In 2013, Donatos was featured on the TV show Undercover Boss. On the show, the boss of a company goes undercover to work in their own stores without being recognized. Jane Grote Abell, who is the Chairwoman of Donatos and Jim Grote's daughter, went undercover. She pretended to be a contestant on a reality TV show.
A Surprising Discovery
During her first job at a Donatos store near Ohio State University, the store manager recognized her right away! Jane had to convince the manager to keep her secret for the TV show. This episode showed viewers what it was like to work at different Donatos locations.
The Missing Piece Book
In 2015, Jane Grote Abell wrote a book called The Missing Piece: Doing Business the Donatos Way. In this book, she shares the story of Donatos and gives advice on how to be a good leader.
See also
