Iconic brand from American Heartland looks ahead to new year
The year kicked off with the return of a guest favorite, Happy Joe’s signature heart-shaped pizzas, delighting guests throughout February. The first quarter also marked a business milestone with the announcement of the brand’s partnership with ORCA Inventory Management, enabling real-time tracking of food costs across locations — variables that change weekly — allowing for cost management and increased operational efficiency. Happy Joe’s launched a new digital marketing campaign focusing on modernizing customer engagement and reaching new audiences across platforms. In June, the company embraced technology innovations such as robotics (Bear Robotics) and AI voice ordering (Voicify) at select locations, enhancing their guest experience and streamlining operations, reinforcing the brand’s financial strategy and operational oversight. Key leadership promotions and hires were also announced:
- Chris Anschutz promoted to Vice President Restaurant Operations
- Ashley Balluff promoted to Vice President Training & Culinary Services
- Jenny Culp promoted to Vice President Purchasing & Supply Chain
- Haley Lueth promoted to Franchise Business Consultant, and hiring
- Aaron Huber hired as Controller
Happy Joe’s achieved impressive domestic and international expansion in 2024, securing multiple area development agreements, including:
- Minnesota ADA
- Egypt ADA
- Arizona ADA
- New Mexico ADA
- Nevada ADA
- Illinois ADA
The combined total of signed new franchise agreements in 2024 has reached 22 locations.
Happy Joe’s expanded its footprint with new store openings, introducing its beloved pizzas to new communities in:
- Cairo, Egypt
- Giza, Egypt
- Alexandria, Egypt
- Kewanee, IL
- Fargo, ND
- Navarre (Pensacola), FL – Coming Soon!
- Oro Valley (Tucson), AZ – Coming Soon!
- Surprise (Phoenix), AZ – Coming Soon!
- Mendota Heights (St. Paul), MN – Coming Soon!
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Coming Soon!
- Dubai, U.A.E. – Coming Soon!
These openings reflect Happy Joe’s growing influence domestically and globally, and its commitment to creating welcoming family dining experiences worldwide.
The brand earned well-deserved accolades in the industry for its continued success, momentum and hard work of its team members, including recognition from:
- Pizza Marketplace Top 100 Movers & Shakers 2024
- Franchise Times Top 400
“2024 has been a year of milestones, growth and meaningful moments,” said Tom Sacco, CEO, president and chief happiness officer at Happy Joe’s. “From expanding our global presence to strengthening our leadership team and rolling out exciting new technologies, we are proud of our progress. As we look to 2025, we remain focused on driving growth, creating value for our franchisees and delivering unforgettable experiences for our guests.”
For more information about Happy Joe’s, visit HappyJoesFranchising.com. For information on starting a Happy Joe’s Pizza franchise, contact Kat Davidson at KatD@drhnow.com or call 678.485.8413.
About Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream
Founded in 1972 by Joe Whitty in Davenport, Iowa, Happy Joe’s dream was to create a restaurant concept that focused on serving America’s two favorite foods – pizza and ice cream – in a family-friendly, celebratory environment. Owned and operated by Dynamic Restaurant Holdings Inc., Happy Joe’s has been named a FastCasual “Top 200” concept, Franchise Times “Top 400” business, and Nation’s Restaurant News “Top 500” restaurant. The family-centric, child entertainment franchise pizza brand has three company-owned and 42 franchise locations throughout the Midwest, the Middle East, and more in the pipeline. To learn more, visit HappyJoesFranchising.com or follow Happy Joe’s on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact:
Jay Brasher
Champion
972-930-9933
jbrasher@championmgt.com
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The post Happy Joe’s Hits Industry Milestones With Record Growth, Franchise Wins and Global Expansion first appeared on RestaurantNews.com.