Grotto Pizza
 | |
.jpg) Grotto Pizza location along the North boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Founded | Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (1960) |
| Founder | Dominick Pulieri, Joseph Paglianite, and Mary Jean Paglianite |
| Headquarters | 20376 Coastal Highway Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 |
Number of locations | 19 (as of 2026[update])[1] |
| Products | Italian-American cuisine pizza |
| Website | www |
Grotto Pizza is a chain of restaurants that sell pizza and other Italian-American dishes, primarily located in the U.S. state of Delaware with two locations in Maryland. The chain originated in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 1960. In December 2025, the business was sold to four longtime employees following a multiyear transition process.
Products
[edit]Grotto Pizza's main product is pizza, which is made with a swirl of sauce atop the cheese.[2] The pizzas come with a variety of toppings along with specialty pizzas. In addition to pizza, Grotto Pizza also serves calzones, strombolis, appetizers, soup, salad, submarine sandwiches, cheesesteaks, burgers, pasta, Buffalo wings, and dessert options including gelato.[3]
Locations
[edit]As of 2026, Grotto Pizza has 19 locations in Delaware and Maryland. In Delaware, Grotto Pizza has several locations in the Delaware Beaches area, in addition to locations in Millsboro, Seaford, Milford, Camden, Dover, Middletown, Newark, and two locations in Wilmington. The chain also has two locations in Maryland: Ocean City and Columbia.[1]
History
[edit]
Grotto Pizza was founded in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 1960 by Dominick Pulieri and his brother-in-law Joseph Paglianite and his sister Mary Jean Paglianite.[2] Pulieri was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from King's College with a degree in Biology. While living in Pennsylvania, he worked at his brother-in-law's pizza place, Joe's Pizza, in Harveys Lake.[4] The first Grotto Pizza location was a take-out stand located along Rehoboth Avenue.[4] In order to attract customers, Pulieri and his sister gave out free samples, and eventually the restaurant attracted both local Sussex County residents and tourists as regular customers.[4]
History
[edit]Grotto Pizza was founded in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 1960 by Dominick Pulieri and his brother-in-law Joseph Paglianite and his sister Mary Jean Paglianite.[2] Pulieri was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from King's College with a degree in Biology. While living in Pennsylvania, he worked at his brother-in-law's pizza place, Joe's Pizza, in Harveys Lake.[4] The first Grotto Pizza location was a take-out stand located along Rehoboth Avenue.[4] In order to attract customers, Pulieri and his sister gave out free samples, and eventually the restaurant attracted both local Sussex County residents and tourists as regular customers.[4]
Grotto Pizza opened a second location in Rehoboth Beach on the boardwalk in 1963, and the Rehoboth Avenue restaurant moved to a larger location in 1967. The restaurant was originally a seasonal business only open during the summer months but became year-round in 1974. Grotto Pizza has grown to include locations throughout Delaware and Maryland.[4] Grotto Pizza has become a cultural icon in Delaware, particularly at the beach.[2] In 2015, Grotto Pizza was inducted into the Pizza Hall of Fame.[5]
In 2015, Grotto Pizza opened a restaurant in Gambrills, Maryland (now closed). This marked the beginning of a plan to expand into the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, where a lot of the summertime customers at the locations at the Delaware and Maryland beaches come from.[6] A location in Columbia, Maryland opened in 2016.[7]
In 2021, Grotto Pizza opened a production kitchen site in Dover, Delaware that centralizes dough production and handles dry storage and food distribution.[8]
In December 2025, Grotto Pizza was sold to four longtime employees following a transition process that began in 2024 and was finalized in early 2025. President Jeff Gosnear, who joined the company in 2002 and became president in 2023, became the majority owner, with Chief Operating Officer Adam Webster as the other principal investor. Two additional minority owners have roughly five decades of combined experience with the company. Founder Dominick Pulieri chose to transfer ownership to trusted employees after having no family successors. Company leadership stated that operations and the menu would remain unchanged, including the chain’s signature pizza swirl.[9]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Grotto Pizza Locations". Grotto Pizza. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Lapetina, Adam (November 7, 2014). "The Best Pizzeria in Every State in America". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ "Our Menu". Grotto Pizza. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "History". Grotto Pizza. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Goss, Scott (July 2, 2015). "Grotto Pizza inducted into Pizza Hall of Fame". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Smith Hopkins, Jamie (November 1, 2013). "Grotto Pizza to expand into Baltimore area". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Loudermilk, Suzanne (August 3, 2016). "Grotto Pizza brings a slice of beach dining to Columbia". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ "Grotto Pizza to roll out 2 million pounds of dough at new Dover kitchen site". Delaware Business Now. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Grotto Pizza sold to longtime employees". Cape Gazette. January 31, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- 1960 establishments in Delaware
- American companies established in 1960
- Companies based in Sussex County, Delaware
- Italian-American culture in Delaware
- Italian-American culture in Maryland
- Italian-American culture in Pennsylvania
- Pizza chains of the United States
- Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
- Restaurants established in 1960