A new take-out restaurant specializing in South Side-style pizza is celebrating its Naperville grand opening today by giving away free pizza all day long.
Sanfratello’s Pizza, which got its start in 1969 in Chicago’s south suburbs, has opened at 1299 S. Naper Blvd. and will employ up to 20 full- and part-time employees, company spokesman Matt Hensler said. It features a square-cut “tavern style” pizza.
All day today until 11 p.m., carry-out customers will receive a free small cheese thin-crust or pan-style pizza.
“Sanfratello’s is the only pizzeria that still uses the original South Side combination of Scamorza cheese, Chicago meats and a scratch-made Sicilian sauce that lets the flavor of the tomatoes shine through,” Joe Sanfratello Jr., son of the pizzeria founder, said in an email.
The Naperville location is the fifth company-owned Sanfratello’s Pizza to open. Other locations include Tinley Park, Highland, Ind., Dyer, Ind., and Gilbert, Ariz.
Hensler said the company selected Naperville for its new location because it is a community with a “lively culinary scene and people (who will) appreciate the higher quality ingredients in our pizza.” Naperville has values that reflect those held by the Sanfratello family, including a “family-focused” outlook, he said.
The pizza will be prepared in classic deck ovens to maintain the same pizza taste the company has been known for, Hensler said. While the new business is currently a take-out only operation, there are plans to add a dining area in the future, he said.
Sanfratello’s Pizza was founded in 1969 on Main Street in Glenwood by Joe Sanfratello. Joe Jr. has now taken over, and is committed to using the same quality of ingredients his father used, Hensler said. There are plans to open more corporate and franchise locations over the next several years, he said.
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In addition to classic thin-crust and pan pizzas, Sanfratello’s has a wide menu that includes appetizers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, rib dinners and desserts. Prices on the menu are comparable with other are pizza restaurants, with the price of a cheese pizza ranging from $9.95 for an 11-inch to $21.95 for a 17-inch.
Restaurant hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Alex Keown is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.