Godfather's Pizza

Godfather's Pizza is a privately owned restaurant chain headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, that operates fast casual Italian franchises. In addition to their fast casual franchise locations, they also operate many Pizza Express Bars.

History

Godfather's was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1973. In the early 1970s, William Theisen owned a beer parlor named Wild Willie's, next to a pizza restaurant named Godfather's near 99th and Q street in Omaha. Theisen bought out the pizza parlor and the name in 1974 from Jerry Forte, the current owner of The Godfather of East Hanover, and sold his first franchise. Theisen sold the company to Pillsbury in the mid-1980s and stepped down from actively managing the company. In 1986, Pillsbury named Herman Cain CEO and President of the brand. Cain and Ronald B. Gartlan, the company's executive vice president, led a group to purchase the Godfather's brand from Pillsbury, which they did by the beginning of 1990 in a leveraged buyout reported to be $100 million. It was reported to be the fifth largest pizza chain in the United States at the time, down from third place in 1985. About this time, many Godfather's locations were bought out by Pantera's Pizza using a similar recipe. Under Cain's leadership, Godfather's closed approximately 200 restaurants and eliminated several thousand jobs, and by doing so returned to profitability. Cain stepped down from his position as CEO and President in 1996 and Gartlan became CEO. Cain stayed on as Chairman until 2002. In 2009 Gartlan bought out Cain. According to the company's official website, as of 14 May 2015, the chain has 571 locations in 36 U.S. states. Godfather's Pizza also operates in some Speedway locations, as well as most Minit Mart locations in Kentucky and northern Tennessee.

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South Dakotans — from Forestburg, Mitchell and more — advocate on big stage for small businesses

The Daily Republic 25 Mar 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Who advocates for rural South Dakota?. Sixty small business owners in rural America flew into Washington, D.C ... We'll give you 1% financing ... Main St., previously housed a Godfather’s Pizza and later an Embe daycare ... ....
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Huck\u2019s Market leverages Kentucky Career Center employer services

The Kentucky Standard 12 Mar 2025
The business’s newest location offers a wide array of amenities, including freshly prepared food, grocery items, Godfather’s Pizza, Cluck’s Fried Chicken, gourmet coffee, 16 fuel pumps, RV fuel pumps and a remote diesel island for trucks ... ....
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