Nancy's Pizza

Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc. franchises operates Italian-based Chicago-style restaurants in Illinois, Georgia, Californiaand Missouri which specialize in Chicago-style cuisine They have operated since 1990, when they took over the popular Nancy's Pizza chain of pizzerias. Nancy's itself was started in 1971 by Nancy and Rocco Palese, a couple who claims to have invented the concept of stuffed pizza. Today, there are 36 Nancy's locations in Chicago metropolitan area, as well as two location in the Atlanta, Georgia area, and one in the Los Angeles, CA area. CFS, Inc. operates Al's Beef, a popular Italian beef restaurant that is extremely well known in downtown Chicago and is regarded as one of the best beef sandwiches in the country. CFS, Inc. just launched Doughocracy Pizza + Brews, a fast casual pizza place that gives customers the "Freedom to Choose" their own toppings on a hand stretched pizza crust that can be paired with local craft beers. There are two Doughocracy restaurants, one in Genevas, Illinois and one in University City, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

Nancy and Rocco Palese had lived most of their adult lives in Turin, Italy before immigrating with their three children to the United States in 1969. After 18 months in Chicago, Nancy and Rocco opened their first pizza parlor, Guy's Pizza, featuring a popular thin crust pizza. In 1971 friends tried to get the Palese's to experiment with pan pizza. Rather than imitate others, Rocco decided to invent his own pizza, modeled after his family’s recipe for "scarciedda," an Easter specialty cake and called his new invention Stuffed Pizza.

In 1974, Rocco and Nancy opened the first Nancy's location in Harwood Heights, Illinois, which could seat only 35 people. Three years later, they opened the first location in Chicago. In 1990, the Palese family sold the name Nancy’s Pizza and all development rights to Dave Howey, the president of Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc., who had been a licensee of the Palese’s since 1977.

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