Papa Gino's, the pizza chain founded in East Boston in 1961, is poised to get new owners. Chicago-based Craveworthy Brands has signed an agreement to acquire New England Authentic Eats LLC, the Dedham-based parent company of Papa Gino's and D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, with the deal expected to close by the end of the year.
Craveworthy announced Tuesday that it had signed the agreement, according to The Boston Globe. The deal is expected to close by Dec. 31, the paper reports, and will bring the 65-year-old pizza chain into a portfolio of nearly 500 restaurants — the largest acquisition Craveworthy has made to date. Craveworthy CEO Gregg Majewski said Papa Gino's is a New England institution and that his company will honor its history, per the same report.
Founded in 1961 by Italian immigrants Michael and Helen Valerio, Papa Gino's stayed in family hands until the couple sold it to investors in 1991. The chain has changed hands repeatedly since: Bunker Hill Capital owned the business before it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018, the Globe notes. A deal to sell the business had been agreed before the bankruptcy filing and was set to close at the end of January.
A Turnaround Effort Cut Short
Papa Gino's footprint has kept shrinking: the chain closed its Hyde Park location at 1270 River St. on Oct. 26, 2025, leaving Dorchester's 748 Gallivan Blvd. as the sole remaining Boston-proper location, according to MassLive.
Papa Gino's ended 2025 with 70 locations, all in New England, and nearly $50 million in sales — a 9.5 percent year-over-year decline, the station's report found. Craveworthy spokeswoman Klaudia Myszewski declined to provide the financial terms of the deal, the Globe adds, though she said there are currently no planned changes to the Dedham headquarters or existing restaurant footprint.
Wings Are Coming to the Pizza Counter
Craveworthy, founded in 2022, has spent the past four years building its restaurant portfolio through acquisitions, and it already owns Wing It On!, the Globe reports. The company says Papa Gino's will retain its name, menu and distinct identity, according to a Craveworthy Brands news release via PR Newswire. But Majewski made clear the pizza shops won't stay exactly as they are: the company plans to add its Wing It On! concept inside Papa Gino's locations once the deal closes, with the CEO telling the Globe that pizza and wings belong together.
Majewski told Nation's Restaurant News that the Papa Gino's purchase will push Craveworthy above $550 million in revenue, part of a stated goal of becoming a $1 billion business within three years. He said the deal will accelerate profitability, growth, and future acquisitions. Per FastCasual, Craveworthy plans to pursue additional acquisitions of comparable scale every six to nine months, suggesting Papa Gino's won't be the last regional chain to end up under the Chicago company's roof.
