Ledo Pizza

Ledo Pizza is a pizzeria restaurant chain in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. Their first pizzeria was opened in Adelphi, Maryland, in 1955 on University Boulevard (Maryland Route 193) in Adelphi Shopping Center near the University of Maryland, College Park (38°59′5.5″N 76°58′1″W). The first franchise was granted to the Fireside Restaurant in Berwyn Heights, Maryland, in 1979. Fireside Restaurant no longer exists. There are now over 100 restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Washington, D.C..[1]

Ledo Pizza
TypePrivate
IndustryPizza, Pizza Delivery
Founded1955 (1955)
Adelphi, Maryland, U.S.
FounderRobert Beall and Thomas Marcos
HeadquartersAnnapolis, Maryland
Number of locations
103, as of November 2016
Key people
Jamie Beall (President, COO)
Aaron Weedy (VP - Finance)
Will Robinson (VP - Marketing)
Mike Conway (VP - Operations)
Websiteledopizza.com

Overview

Ledo Pizza is rectangular in shape and is known for its very thin crust, sweet sauce, thick pepperoni (one per slice; optional), and smoked provolone cheese, often using the tagline "Ledo Pizza is square, because we don't cut corners."

Pizzas from Ledo Pizza

The real reason Ledo pizza is square was the relative abundance of rectangular pans in the 1950s, when round pizza pans were new. When the pizza industry embraced the round pan to cut costs, as the shape gave the illusion of more product when it was actually less, Ledo stayed true to its roots and it became their trademark.[2]

Most of its restaurants do not offer delivery options, focusing rather in carry out and dine-in options. When eating at the restaurant, customers are served by a waiter or waitress, rather than receiving the food over the counter. Also, Ledo offers many menu items, such as hamburgers, pasta, its own beer line (Ledo Lager), and more, in addition to specialty pizza types usually offered by pizza chains such as Pizza Hut or Papa John's.

The restaurant chain has been called by several names, including Ledo Pizza and Ledo Pizza and Pasta.

The original location in Adelphi, Maryland, at the Adelphi Shopping Center was established in 1955. The name on its website is "Tommy Marcos' Ledo Restaurant". The original location is not listed in the restaurant finder maintained by The Ledo Pizza System website. The omission from the chain's website may be related to a legal dispute between the Ledo chain and the Marcos family.[3] Ledo Pizza was named among the best pizzas in America on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[4] The same pizza based on the same family recipe is served at TJ Elliots in Bowie, Maryland, along with many of the other signature Italian-American and family dishes. TJ Elliots is owned and operated by Tommy and Jimmy Marcos.

In September 2009, the Marcos family announced that the original Ledo's restaurant would be moving a few miles from its original location to downtown College Park. The original location closed in July 2010, and the new location opened for business on August 27, 2010.

Standalone franchise in Washington, D.C.

Recognition

In 2019, Ledo Pizza was rated #31 on the Pizza Today Top 100 Companies list with 2018 gross sales of $120,000,000 from its 106 restaurants.[5]

References
  1. "Ledo Pizza Near Me - Locations on the East Coast". Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  2. "Ledo Pizza Company Store". Ledo Pizza. 2007–2010.
  3. Moore, Marcus (2006-12-08). "Ledo Pizza sues former partners in trademark dispute". Gaithersburg Gazette.
  4. "Quest for the Best: The Best Pizza in America". The Oprah Winfrey Show. 2006-11-01.
  5. "2019 Top 100 Pizza Companies". Pizza Today. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
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