April 26, 2022 // Franchising.com // COLUMBUS, Ohio - Donatos is kicking off 2022 with expansion throughout Southwest Florida. The pizza chain’s latest expansion in the state includes a 3-store deal in Fort Myers with Herwig Enterprises, the first location slated to open later in 2022.
Donatos was founded in 1963 when Ohio State sophomore Jim Grote bought a small pizza shop in Columbus, Ohio from a young seminarian for $1,300. The company was classified “Best in Class” and acquired by McDonald’s Corporation in 1999, at a time when the fast-food giant was extending its reach to include other restaurant brands. A few years later, McDonald’s board of directors urged executives to focus on the core burger business. This strategic change provided an opportunity for Grote and his daughter, Jane Grote Abell, to buy back the company in 2003.
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