Gino's East facts for kids
 |
|
.jpg) |
|
| Industry | Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | , |
|
Number of locations
|
10 |
| Products | Deep Dish Pizza, Tavern Style Thin Crust, Salads, Pastas, Sandwiches |
Gino's East is a famous restaurant chain from Chicago, Illinois. It is well-known for its special deep-dish pizza. Two cab drivers first opened the restaurant in 1966.
Contents
How Gino's East Started
Gino's East opened its doors in 1966. It was started by three friends: Sam Levine, Fred Bartoli, and George Loverde. Before this, they had opened another restaurant called Gino's in 1960.
The founders bought a building on East Superior Street. They weren't sure what kind of business to start there. Then, someone suggested they open a pizza place. Even though they didn't know much about making pizza, they decided to give it a try.
Gino's East served its deep-dish pizza at 162 East Superior Street from 1966 until 2000. This spot was very close to the famous Magnificent Mile shopping area. In 2000, the original building had to be torn down because it had structural problems. Just two days later, the restaurant moved to a new spot on North Wells Street.
In 2003, another company built a new building at the old 162 East Superior Street location. After a few years, they offered to sell it back to Gino's East. So, Gino's East returned to its original address in a brand new building in June 2006.
The Secret Pizza Recipe
Even though the original owners were Italian, they didn't create the famous deep-dish pizza recipe themselves. They hired a talented cook named Alice Mae Redmond. She was a Black woman who had worked at a competing pizza place, Pizzeria Uno, for 17 years.
Alice Mae developed a special dough recipe that made Gino's deep-dish pizza unique. She said she didn't like the crust at her old job because it was "too hard to push." Alice Mae continued to work at Gino's for 29 years, making pizzas and creating new recipes. She retired in 1989. Her nephew, Glenn Hudley, also worked there as a manager.
Writing on the Walls
One of the most fun things about Gino's East is that customers are allowed to write on the walls! This tradition started by accident in the 1970s. Customers would use forks and knives to carve their names into the tables. To protect their furniture, employees started encouraging people to write on the walls instead. They even gave out pens and markers.
Now, every part of the original restaurant is covered in graffiti. However, newer Gino's East locations and franchises do not allow customers to write on their walls. This makes the main restaurant at 162 East Superior Street the only place where this special tradition continues.
A Special Beer Purchase
In 2015, a company called 5 Rabbit Brewery decided to stop working with Donald Trump. This was because of some statements he made. The brewery had made a special batch of beer for a bar in Trump Tower Chicago. But after their decision, they stopped sending the beer there. They even renamed the beer to '... Tu Pelo'. A few days later, Gino's East bought this special batch of beer from the brewery.
What's in the Pizza?
Gino's East gets its sausage from a family business in Chicago. This helps them keep their pizza tasting great.
For people who prefer plant-based food, Gino's East also offers a vegan pizza. It uses vegan cheese from a company called Daiya.
Gino's Brewing Company
In 2015, Gino's East opened its own brewery called Gino's Brewing Co. It is located inside the Gino's East River North restaurant. The brewery focuses on making beers using traditional methods. They often make beers with lower alcohol content.
In 2015, all four of the brewery's main beers won awards at the U.S. Open Beer Championship. They competed against over 4,000 other beers! Their Lasalle St. Lager won a gold medal. Broken English won silver, and both Killarney Connection and Gino's Pale Ale won bronze medals.
Where Gino's East Has Grown
Gino's East has opened many other restaurants in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Some of these places include Wheaton, Naperville, Rolling Meadows, Lake Zurich, Deerfield, Oak Lawn, and Highland, Indiana. Another location opened in downtown Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which is a popular place for tourists.
Some of these locations have closed over the years. The Oak Lawn restaurant closed in 2008. The Naperville location closed in late 2010, Deerfield in 2012, and Rolling Meadows in 2013. There was also a Gino's East in Manhattan Beach, California, but it closed in 1991.
Gino's East also has a mail-order business. This means people can order frozen pizzas and have them shipped to their homes overnight. The company opened its first restaurant outside the Chicago area in Granger, Indiana, but it closed in 2012.
The main restaurant moved from its Superior Street location to 633 North Wells Street. This new spot used to be a Planet Hollywood restaurant. The fun tradition of writing on the walls continued at this new location. The original Superior Street location reopened in 2007. In 2014, the River North location moved again to 500 North LaSalle Street.
In 2014, the company announced plans to open restaurants in Texas. The first Texas location opened in The Woodlands in November 2014. Another opened in Willowbrook, Houston in January 2015. Locations in San Antonio and Arlington, TX opened in early 2015. A Downtown Austin location opened in June 2015. Many of these Texas locations used to be other types of restaurants.
Nashville Location
In 2019, Gino's East opened its first restaurant in Nashville. It is located at 311 3rd Avenue South. This new spot opened on March 14, which is also National Pi Day! The Nashville location has a large outdoor patio with fun yard games like Jenga. It also has a late-night pizza window and a bar that serves both inside and outside. You can also see cool murals by Nashville artist Brett Hunter throughout the restaurant.
Los Angeles Location
In 2020, a Gino's East franchise opened in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 12924 Riverside Drive in Sherman Oaks. This new restaurant took over a building that used to be a different pizza place.
Today, Gino's East has 10 locations where you can enjoy their famous deep-dish pizza.
