Johnny’s Pizza: Everything You Need To Know About This Pizzeria

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In the pizza world, where you have to struggle a lot to successfully make an entry into, a brand staying in business for a very long haul is rare. And Johnny’s is among those rare cases.

To survive this fierce game, the owner of North Carolina mini-chain Johnny’s Pizza has done things differently from the rest.

While many restaurants will cut corners or purchase cheaper ingredients to maintain effective operation, this pizza joint is still doing the same as it did a decade ago.

Today’s post will take you to everything about this famous pizzeria.

History of Johnny’s Pizza

Johnny's Pizza
Johnny’s restaurant

Bruce Jackson, a 16-year-old boy, saw the opportunity when ordering pizza at the original Johnny’s Pizza in Manlius, New York.

He was interested in the business. They served piping hot pies made with 100% authentic, fresh ingredients to hungry customers or an excited high school basketball team after the win at school. And the eaters sat down with other residents on a Saturday night for a large slice.

He loved everything about it and decided to build one on his own.

Bruce and Johnny’s brother – Rosario – launched a restaurant off the Syracuse University campus in the next three years. After building six-year experience there, he and Scott Allen, another business partner, decided to transfer to a different region with warmer weather – Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1977, Scott and Bruce hung a board “Now Open” in their storefront’s front window in Atlanta, starting to sell pizza.

The year after, they launched another store. As ambitious entrepreneurs, they foresaw a vast potential of the business operating fashion and the brand.

In 1994, these two risk-takers started to franchise.

So far, a new, intelligent generation of leaders has been driving the business into a bright future. Luke, Bruce’s son, promotes the brand throughout the country and concentrates on development in either dine-in or delivery segments.

They’re also concentrating on strategies to accelerate volume growth of individual stores, including an extended craft beer range and unique seasonal menu items.

How Do The Company Approach Customers?

In such an era that has witnessed the booming development of social media, any restaurant business would look high and low for the chance to take advantage of it. Johnny’s pizza is not foreign to this trend.

Thanks to their focus on marketing strategies through social media, the brand now shows off four locations in North California with an upcoming fifth outpost.

While the company still draws considerable engagement from LinkedIn updates, tweets, Instagram, and Facebook posts, they believe their unorthodox access to social media is crucial to their success.

They encourage customers and potential customers to strike a conversation with them through direct messages.

This firm added that all of their most impactful marketing occurs via DMs. The realistic statistics support their theory.

According to a study of NM Incite, 71% of consumers said they are more likely to choose and recommend an eatery that responds and solves their problems quickly.

When folks tell the company they are looking forward to trying their products for the very first time after receiving a buzz or compliment Johnny’s fried mozzarella sticks with marinara; they usually receive a message from the company personally.

Sometimes, Johnny’s also offers a Slice promotion code for the next order.

Also, when they receive a scarce complaint of a burnt or overcooked pie, the company will rectify that problem right away to retain customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Close customer relationships are the top priority of this pizzeria’s branding strategy. They believe in the real return on investment (ROI) of social media.

So, they’re trying to strike direct conversations with customers who want their service or food and want to turn back.

Even when the customers have a not-so-happy experience, they will strive to correct it. A brilliant idea to notice here is that the more they do this, the more those mistakes turn into snowball effects.

Best Sellers of Johnny’s Menu

  • Garlic Cheese Bread

This dish features Johnny’s old-fashioned dipping sauce recipe, giving a classic Italian taste.

This special bread comes with an attractive top cover of garlic butter, provolone + romano cheese, and parmesan.

Of course, the restaurant will bake it fresh and serve it warm straight from the stove oven. What can be more joyful than a warm slice of cheesy garlic bread straight from the stove oven, alright?

If you bring it home, you can serve it as a side dish to your fav soups and pasta or dip it in the marinara sauce. It’s so good that we had difficulty stopping to eat.

Here is how we describe this food: garlic-y, cheesy deliciousness.

  • Johnny’s Italian Antipasto Salad

We love this unique salad. It’s hard to resist the 100% premium provolone cheese, salami, ham, pepperoni, mild banana peppers, and black olives. The beauty is that you can ask for your dressing of choice.

In essence, it’s a cold platter of cheese, meat, and vegetables served at the beginning of the meal before other main courses like pasta.

  • Johnny’s BBQ Pizza

We consider it one of the most finger-licking BBQ pizzas we’ve ever tried. This food is a combination of classic Italian creation and some good down-home American cooking.

The savory, spicy BBQ sauce topped with onions, green peppers, diced chicken, cilantro, and 100% premium provolone cheese would surely please you.

  • Chicken Bacon Ranch

This pizza features Johnny’s unique homemade ranch, topped with hickory-smoked bacon, white chicken, freshly-sliced tomatoes, and onions if you wish.

These cheesy chicken breasts will be the perfect easy and quick weeknight dinner if you’re sticking to a strict keto diet.

Imagine when your baked chicken comes out tender and juicy, covered in the tastiest and easiest bacon ranch sauce. We bet you’ll be nuts about it.

How To Make Johnny’s Dough?

  • Combine salt and water in a large bowl and allow the salt to dissolve. Then, add 10-15% of the flour and mix well.
  • After that, add more yeast and flour. Keep adding the rest of the flour and mixing well until they combine.
  • Move the dough to a scarcely floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth. This step can take about 10 minutes.
  • Next, put the dough into a scarcely floured bowl, cover it with a dampened cloth, and place it aside. Wait for the dough to rest for about 30 minutes. Then, divide it into 5-6 round balls.
  • After that, cover the bowl with a dampened tea towel. Allow your dough balls to increase in size. This process should take around 10-12 hours.
  • Once your dough balls have doubled their sizes, place them on a scarcely floured bench and stretch them by hand.
  • So, you’ve finished making your restaurant-quality dough for pizza.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a sucker for pizza, you should have heard of Johnny’s Pizza – a dominant player in the fast-food game.

Their admirable reputation is not a stroke of luck but due to generational effort and intelligent development strategies. They never stop to make well-loved, unique sides and pies to see their customers’ smiles.

It must be a big regret if you’ve never tried this eatery’s food. We promise you’ll become a fan!

Also Read: Papa Murphy’s Pizzas