Donatos, the fast-casual pizza chain famous for its Edge to Edge toppings, continued its expansion plans by setting a goal of opening 10-15 locations in the Pittsburgh area. This comes after the brand’s partner, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, officially began serving Donatos pizza in nine of their Pittsburgh restaurants in May. In addition to targeting expansion in Pittsburgh, Youngstown, and Morgantown, Donatos opened its third location in Erie, Pennsylvania, earlier this year.
“The overwhelmingly positive response from guests at our existing locations has definitely motivated us to continue doing what we love and move forward with our growth plans,” said Jeff Baldwin, vice president of development & franchising for Donatos. “We’re excited to share our famous Edge to Edge pizzas with more communities in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and West Virginia. We are confident that people will fall in love with our food and resonate with our mission as we continue to expand nationwide.”
Donatos is looking to continue to grow in communities throughout the region including smaller markets around Youngstown and Morgantown. The brand already has 112 locations open in Ohio and looks to build on the momentum of recent new store openings in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“It’s clear that our mission and food is appreciated across our home state of Ohio, and we believe neighboring states like Pennsylvania and West Virginia will enjoy the Donatos experience, so it’s a no-brainer to keep expanding in this region and give back to the communities that have given so much to us over the years,” said Kevin King, president of Donatos. “We hope to foster more of that local love that motivates us to provide the best food and service possible in our markets.”
Including a franchise fee of $30,000, the initial investment to own and operate a Donatos restaurant ranges from $391,500 to $750,747. The average store is 1,700-2,200 square feet and employs roughly 30 primarily part-time associates. The average volume nationwide, per store, exceeds $1.29 million.
The expansion plans for Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia come at a time when Donatos is continuing to grow its national footprint. Today, Donatos is served in over 410 locations across 23 states, including 169 traditional Donatos restaurants, and its products are served in nine sports and entertainment venues and one REEF Kitchen. Additionally, Donatos continues to expand through its strategic partnership with Red Robin with a scaled-down menu alongside Red Robin’s signature burgers. Today, that partnership includes 231 Red Robin locations, with plans to scale to additional markets across the U.S. in 2022 and beyond.
