Iconic Midwest pizza brand expands to Florida, earns industry honors and builds momentum for back half of 2025
Davenport, IA (RestaurantNews.com) With more than 52 years delivering unforgettable pizza creations and tasty ice cream treats, Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream is showing no signs of slowing down. As the brand crosses the halfway point of 2025, it is celebrating a series of standout achievements, including record-breaking sales, national recognition and a wave of strategic growth.
In April, Happy Joe’s entered the Florida market with a new restaurant in Navarre. The location opened with back-to-back VIP events and a Grand Opening Day that shattered company records – setting an all-time single-day sales record and going on to set a new record for the highest seven-day sales period in the brand’s history.
“The Navarre debut set a new bar for what success looks like for us,” said Tom Sacco, CEO, President and Chief Happiness Officer at Happy Joe’s. “It reinforced that our model, our menu and our mission resonate with guests beyond the Midwest. This momentum is carrying us into new markets and inspiring renewed energy systemwide.”
Happy Joe’s continues to gain national recognition as a franchise to watch. The brand was named to Pizza Marketplace’s 2025 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, earning the No. 21 spot, and Sacco was honored as one of the Top 25 Executives of the Year. On the culinary side, it took home a Flavor & Menu award for its innovative Big Max Pizza.
The brand’s visibility has expanded across national and trade media, with Sacco featured on the cover of PMQ Pizza Magazine, highlighting their long-term strategy and values-based leadership. The marketing team was featured in PMQ during Women’s Empowerment Month with a byline from Haley Leuth discussing its commitment to inclusion and representation.
It has also maintained a consistent presence in holiday and seasonal coverage across major food and lifestyle outlets, with mentions for New Year’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, National Pizza Day, Lent, Pi Day, Easter, Tax Day and multiple appreciation weeks in spring.
Looking ahead, Happy Joe’s continues to focus on franchise development across its existing markets and in new territories, including Texas and additional locations in Florida.
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 44 franchise locations throughout the Midwest with more in the pipeline. To learn more, visit HappyJoes.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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