Iconic Midwestern pizza brand highlights accomplishments from 2022, prepares for new year growth
Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream is committed to creating magical, lifetime memories and delivering happiness this new year after celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2022 with noteworthy initiatives, events and growth.
To kick off 2023, Happy Joe’s has launched its Jalapeño Popper Pizza with a cream cheese base infused with real jalapeño juice, topped with crunchy potatoes, a blend of 100% real cheeses, crisp bacon and spicy jalapeños for a popping combination of flavors.
The iconic Midwestern pizza brand plans to break into three new markets – Florida, Texas and Arizzona – while continuing to build on its international grrowth this year. Happy Joe’s also intends to launch its first food truck, taking its pizza and ice cream on the road, and rebrand its premiere, high-volume company restaurant in Bettendorf with a new Harrison Architect & Design look.
Happy Joe’s is scheduled to open six new restaurants this year, starting with Branson and St. Louis, Missouri, as well as Navarre, Florida. Internationally, the brand will expand in Egypt with locations in Lotus, SODIC and Mall of Arabia.
“We’re incredibly proud of the work our team has executed in our golden anniversary, positioning us for growth and a bright future,” said Happy Joe’s President, CEO and Chief Happiness Officer Tom Sacco. “We look forward to showing our loyal guests what Happy Joe’s has in store for them and serving more communities this year and beyond with fun, quality and pizza to make people happy.”
Happy Joe’s launched several successful campaigns in 2022, such as its Pasta Palooza for fans to turn any signature pizza into a pasta dish or create their own, Mexi-Fest to spotlight its Mexican-influenced pizzas in honor of the original Taco Joe, Summeroni Pizza to fulfill every pepperoni lover’s dream, as well as its Bavarian menu items to celebrate Oktoberfest.
As part of its 50th anniversary, Happy Joe’s pledged to donate $50,000 to 50 families with children with disabilities, held a 2022 Ford® Explorer ST giveaway, and hosted over 1,500 children with disabilities and their aids at Happy Joe’s Kids Foundation Holiday Parties in the Quad Cities area. In addition, the brand hosted its annual Kids Micro Marathon with the TBK Quad Cities Marathon.
Customers adjusted to the challenges of 2022 by using Happy Joe’s pick-up and carry-out service. Happy Joe’s followed suit by enhancing its website in March with a fresh look to make the ordering process more accessible and user-friendly. It also teamed up with Goldbelly to deliver its one-of-a-kind pizza creations nationwide for the first time.
2022 saw Happy Joe’s sign a franchise agreement with Jeff and Jennifer Harding to develop multiple locations in the Florida Panhandle, including the Navarre restaurant scheduled to open before this summer. The brand joined Sacco in recognizing its monumental debut in Egypt with a grand opening celebration in the fall. The franchise agreement with H.J. Middle East L.L.C. calls for the opening of 25 restaurants across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Happy Joe’s also signed two long-time managers as franchisees in Illinois, with Leslie Boyton taking over operations at a new location in Galesburg and Heather Avery continuing the brand’s presence in Kewanee as the new owner and operator. On top of reopening its Galena, Illinois, restaurant with new owners and experiencing record-breaking sales and support, Happy Joe’s also plans to return to St. Louis later this year with new franchisees Travis and Heather Potts.
After a two-year hiatus, Sacco also presented 24 awards across 11 diverse categories to team members, franchisees and partners at its biggest and most successful conference in the brand’s history.
To learn more about Happy Joe’s, visit HappyJoes.com. For interest in Happy Joe’s franchising opportunities, email Kat Davidson at KatD@drhnow.com or call 678.485.8413.
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 pizza brand has eight company and 34 franchise locations throughout the Midwest with more in the pipeline. To learn more, visit HappyJoes.com or follow Happy Joe’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- More from Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream
