At 16 years old, Bruce Jackson was flipping pizza at the original Johnny’s Pizza in Manlius, New York. He loved the business: serving piping hot pizza — always made with fresh, authentic ingredients — to happy customers, sitting down with the locals on a Friday night for a slice, or feeding the high school football team after a win. He saw opportunity. And he wanted to build his own. Most of our franchise operators are familiar with the feeling.
In three short years, Bruce opened a Johnny’s Pizza just off the Syracuse University campus with Johnny’s younger brother Rosario. After six years of success there, Bruce and a new business partner, Scott Allen, were ready for a move to warmer weather! Atlanta, Georgia is where they landed. In 1977, Bruce and Scott wrote “Now Open” on a pizza box, stuck it in the front window of their storefront in Atlanta, and started selling pizza. One year later, they opened a second store. As entrepreneurs, they saw bigger potential in the brand and the business model they’d so carefully fine-tuned. In 1994, they officially began to franchise.
In 2003, we needed a unique name to operate on a national level. So we gave Johnny a last name, and Johnny Brusco’s Pizza was born! Now a new generation of leadership is guiding Johnny’s Pizza into the future. Bruce’s son, Luke, is expanding the business across the country and focusing on growth in both dine-in and delivery segments. We’re also focusing on ways to increase individual store volume growth, including new seasonal menu offerings and an expanded craft beer selection. If you’re ready to open a Johnny’s Pizza in Georgia, start your application here. If you’re ready to open a Johnny Brusco’s outside of Georgia, start your application here.