Donatos eyes Youngstown for new pizza restaurants

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The area’s growth has led a Columbus pizza company to eye the Youngstown market.

Donatos Pizza, a fast-growing chain, hopes to do an expansion wave and bring its pizza here.

“The state of Ohio has been very good to us,” John Houck, vice president of development for Donatos, said in a statement. “It’s where we got started. It’s where we’ve been based for more than 50 years.”

Donatos was founded in Ohio in 1963 and now has 154 locations nationwide.

More than 100 locations are in Ohio.

The revitalization of Youngstown is what attracted the company to the area.

“More and more companies want to come to Youngstown, and we want to be one of those companies,” Houck said. “We want to be a part of the revitalization that’s going on there.”

To augment the company’s growth, Donatos is actively seeking local franchisees with restaurant experience.

The closest Donatos locations to Youngstown are in Hudson and North Canton, Ohio.

Outside of pizza, Donatos serves strombolis, sub sandwiches and salads.