Sheehy told the Journal-News the company hopes to sign its first lease by year’s end and while its first-choice site is along Interstate 71, he believes Cincinnati could support more than just two locations.
“I would say at least six sites,” Sheehy said. “We’re really looking at the entire Greater Cincinnati MSA but I would say that, generally, we’re focused on the denser areas of town that have some degree of affluence, but not necessarily the most affluent in town.”
Sites in Liberty Twp., downtown Cincinnati and Kenwood are under consideration, according to our news partner WCPO 9 On Your Side.
"Cincinnati's a very good area," Giordano's CEO Yorgo Koutsogiorgas told WCPO in an exclusive interview. "We would love to be there."
Sheehy said the recent successful opening of a Giordano’s in Indianapolis shows the region’s drawing power.
In Ohio, Giordano’s will encounter a market that already has about 3,800 pizza restaurants, 54 percent of which are independent operators with fewer than 10 locations, according to PMQ Pizza Magazine’s 2015 Pizza Power Report.
The report says the nation’s 73,000 pizza restaurants generated revenue of $38.5 billion in 2014, a 3 percent increase from 2013. A recent report by food industry consultant Technomic indicates “build-your-own” pizza chains like MOD Pizza, Pie Five and Pieology are the fastest-growing competitors nationwide.
“We’re not coming to Cincinnati to claim that we’re going to take pizza business away from anybody,” Koutsogiorgas said. “We’re going to add another option, which in my view will be a wonderful option.”
Liberty Twp. officials told the Journal-News they had not received any zoning application nor any other inquiries from the Chicago-based chain.
Township officials declined comment on the possibility of Giordano’s coming to the township, “given the speculative nature” of the location at this point.
About the Author
