Grimaldi's Pizzeria history

Patsy Grimaldi, the founder of Grimaldi's Pizzeria, learned to make pizza at age ten at Patsy's Pizzeria, his uncle Patsy Lancieri's restaurant in Italian Harlem in 1941.

Grimaldi opened Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York in 1990, in a location under the Brooklyn Bridge, at 1 Front Street in Brooklyn.

The original Patsy's arranged to keep its name and operations intact at this location, operating independently of the mini chain. (Every so often you'll hear someone refer to Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge as "Patsy Grimaldi's," though that's happens less and less often these days.) It was originally called Patsy's: Of course, there's also that other Patsy's — the original Patsy's in East Harlem and the mini chain of spin-off Patsy's, which started in 1994, after a group of investors bought the Patsy's naming rights from the original Patsy's in East Harlem.

In October 1996, "to disassociate themselves from the new restaurants and to end the court fight, the Grimaldis changed the name of their pizza house to Patsy Grimaldi's.

In 1998, Patsy Grimaldi sold Grimaldi’s to Frank Ciolli who owns it to this day.

In 2000, the original Grimaldi’s under the Brooklyn Bridge moved to their new location just next door to the original spot.

In 2003, wait-times at the original Brooklyn restaurant, which didn't take reservations, could be up to an hour for a table.

Grimaldi and his business partner, Sean McHugh 2006: Patsy Grimaldi opens a slice joint in the Aviator Sports & Recreation complex at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

2008: The first of the tax problems with Grimaldi's pizzeria

2009: Rumors circulate that Mr.

By 2010, the company had expanded into Arizona, Florida, and Texas.

Also in 2011, a Grimaldi's outpost in Chelsea, Manhattan was opened.

Grimaldi's expanded into Southern California in early 2013, in a location in El Segundo with 280 seats.

In August 2016, a Grimaldi's at 656 Avenue of the Americas in Chelsea was seized by New York's tax department over back taxes.

By 2017, Eric Greenwald was chief operating officer of Grimaldi's Pizza.

In February 2018, a Grimaldi's pizzeria closed in Colorado due to tax debt and the Coloradoan reported that Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria at Foothills shopping center had had its property seized by the county government, after it had closed the month prior.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria started a national domestic franchise program in April 2019.

In November 2020, the Grimaldi’s Pizzeria To-Go concept debuted in Scottsdale, Arizona in conjunction with Kitchen United.