A Neapolitan pizzeria chain has spent two years promising Greenville an authentic, Naples-trained pizza experience at the old Tanner's Big Orange site, and the restaurant still hasn't opened its doors. Cugino Forno first announced its plans for a Greenville, South Carolina location in 2024, and as of the latest reporting, the building still sits without a confirmed opening date.
The Greenville location is going into the former site of Tanner's Big Orange, according to a report republished by Yahoo News that was originally published by The State. The owners have said permitting has held them up, per that same report. It's a long way from the original timeline: plans for the location were announced in 2024 with an original opening date set for late 2025, according to the Upstate Business Journal.
A Timeline Full of Missed Targets
The delays have stacked up in layers. WYFF reported the restaurant was set to open at 322 South Pleasantburg Drive back in February 2025, a date that came and went. By the time the Post and Courier checked in, the hope had shifted to opening no later than August 2025, with co-owner Joseph Ozbey telling the outlet that contractor issues had been a factor; Ozbey said the team secured a new general contractor in December and that, with pricing and materials finally set, building work was expected to start within a month, according to the Post and Courier.
Even that estimate slipped. Ozbey later said he currently expected an end-of-summer opening, according to the Greenville Journal. Then, in a report about an Oct. 19 social media post, the Upstate Business Journal noted the business had added a sign to the building but still had work left to finish — and the headline on that story made the lack of a firm date plain: “Pizzeria at former Tanner's Big Orange adds a sign, but still no opening date.”
What Greenville Diners Can Expect
Once it does open, the Greenville restaurant will have an outdoor patio space and will serve 10 pizza varieties, per the Yahoo-republished report. The menu will also include salads and dessert choices such as gelato, cannolis and tiramisu, according to the Upstate Business Journal. The pizzas will come out of a 900-degree oven imported from Naples, Italy, made from the stone of Mount Vesuvius — a signature touch for a brand built around Neapolitan tradition.
Cugino Forno was founded by three cousins, Joseph Ozbey, Adam Aksoy and Yilmaz Guver, who studied under master pizza makers in Naples before bringing the concept stateside. Reports differ on exactly how much of the restaurant's ingredients come from Italy: the Yahoo-republished account says nearly 80%, while WYFF reported Ozbey said 85% of the ingredients used at the restaurant come directly from Italy. The Greenville location is planned to be the chain's seventh restaurant, joining five locations in North Carolina and one in Maryland, per the Upstate Business Journal.
From a Greensboro Pop-Up to a Regional Chain
The first Cugino Forno opened in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2017, and the brand has since expanded with pizza vending machines at Incendiary Brewing in Lewisville, North Carolina, and Solo Taco in Greensboro. The Greenville project will replace a longtime local institution: reports differ on when Tanner's Big Orange closed, with one account putting it in 2024 after 60 years making burgers, fries and its special orange drink, and WYFF reporting the burger stand closed at the end of 2023 after opening along South Pleasantburg in 1966.
Cugino Forno has leaned into the wait with a sense of humor on social media, acknowledging the delays even as it tries to keep Greenville's appetite whetted. The company recently said its Greenville restaurant was opening soon and shared pictures showing oven installation and driveway work at the site. In one Facebook post, the business wrote, “We can make a pizza in 90 seconds. Apparently, building a restaurant takes a little longer.” When a commenter raised concerns about the delays, the business responded, “We promise we're better at making pizzas than opening restaurants!”
