Brick-Oven Pizza Chain With NY Roots Expands Into Southwest FL

SOUTHWEST FL — Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, a national chain known for its coal-fired, brick-oven pizza, is expanding into Southwest Florida with five new restaurants, multiple reports said.

The company sold its Bell Tower Fort Myers location to UNIV Hospitality of Fort Myers, LLC, led by principals Gary Patel and Anil Harkhani, FSR Magazine said.

Grimaldi’s will continue to operate its existing company-owned Florida locations in downtown Palm Beach Gardens, in Miramar Beach and at Westshore Plaza in Tampa.

UNIV has also entered into a development agreement with the brand to open five additional Grimaldi’s restaurants in Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties, Food & Beverage Magazine said.

"With the acquisition of Grimaldi's Bell Tower restaurant and plans to expand across Southwest Florida, we look forward to building on the restaurant's success and bringing Grimaldi's to even more communities throughout the region," Harkhani said in a statement, according to reports. "We plan to bring the same family-friendly, casual yet upscale atmosphere and award-winning pizzas to communities across southwest Florida."

Grimaldi’s was founded as a family-owned restaurant in Brooklyn in 1990, according to PMQ Pizza.

Today, there are 40 company-owned Grimaldi’s and five franchised locations in 12 states, according to the brand’s website.

There’s a high concentration of pizzerias in Texas and Arizona, where the company is headquartered.

All pizzas are made with the brand’s “secret recipe” hand-tossed dough that’s made in-house and using pizza-making traditions that originated in Brooklyn more than 100 years ago.

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