Ledo Pizza

Ledo Pizza is an American pizza restaurant chain founded in 1955 in Adelphi, Maryland. The brand developed in the Mid-Atlantic region and became associated with a distinctive rectangular pizza rather than the more common round format. Its signature product combines a very thin crust with a sweet tomato sauce, smoked provolone cheese, and thick pepperoni traditionally arranged at roughly one piece per slice, although pepperoni is optional. This combination gives Ledo Pizza a recognizable flavor and appearance and forms the center of its brand identity. The first Ledo pizzeria opened at the Adelphi Shopping Center on University Boulevard in Adelphi, near the University of Maryland, College Park. The chain later expanded through franchising; the first franchise was awarded in 1979 to the Fireside Restaurant in Berwyn Heights, Maryland. That restaurant no longer operates, but the franchise model helped Ledo Pizza grow beyond its original location. The chain eventually established more than 100 restaurants across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, New York City, and Washington, D.C., giving it a primarily Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States footprint. Although pizza is the core offering, Ledo Pizza restaurants also serve other casual-dining and quick-service items, including salads and sandwiches. The brand’s positioning is built around accessible family dining, carryout, delivery, and a proprietary pizza style rather than around a broad national fast-food identity. Its rectangular pies, thin crust, sweet sauce, smoked provolone, and thick pepperoni function as product differentiators in a crowded American pizza market. The original Adelphi restaurant became the subject of a location transition in the late 2000s. In 2009, the Marcos family announced plans to move the original restaurant several miles to downtown College Park. The Adelphi location closed in July 2010, and the College Park restaurant opened on August 27, 2010. That College Park restaurant closed in November 2020 and reopened approximately a year later as a Ledo Pizza franchise location, preserving a connection with the brand’s original community while changing the operating arrangement. Ledo Pizza has also defended its name and trademark. In 2006, the chain sued the Marcos family, alleging unauthorized use of the Ledo name and trademark in connection with food sales and claiming financial harm. The dispute is part of the brand’s documented history of protecting its identity as it expanded across multiple locations. The chain received broader consumer recognition through television exposure, including being identified among the best pizzas in America on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2019, Pizza Today ranked Ledo Pizza 31st on its Top 100 Companies list based on 2018 gross sales reported for 106 restaurants. In February 2024, Ledo Pizza entered a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the Baltimore Orioles, extending the brand’s regional marketing presence through a prominent Maryland sports partnership. Ledo Pizza remains an active regional chain whose reputation is closely tied to its distinctive rectangular pizza format and Maryland origins.

Ledo Pizza began in 1955 when its first pizzeria opened at the Adelphi Shopping Center on University Boulevard in Adelphi, Maryland, close to the University of Maryland, College Park. The original restaurant established the format that would define the chain: a rectangular pizza with a very thin crust, sweet sauce, smoked provolone cheese, and thick pepperoni. The rectangular shape and ingredient combination distinguished Ledo Pizza from the round pies commonly associated with American pizza restaurants. The business expanded beyond its first restaurant through franchising. Its first recorded franchise was granted in 1979 to the Fireside Restaurant in Berwyn Heights, Maryland. Although that restaurant later ceased to exist, franchising enabled the Ledo name to spread beyond the original Adelphi site. Over time, the chain developed a regional network across Maryland and neighboring Mid-Atlantic states, later extending into parts of the Southeast and to New York City and Washington, D.C. The documented footprint includes Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, New York City, and the District of Columbia, with more than 100 restaurants reported in the chain’s history. The company’s menu remained centered on pizza while also including salads and sandwiches. Its identity continued to depend heavily on its signature pie rather than on a large portfolio of unrelated restaurant concepts. The product’s thin crust, sweet sauce, smoked provolone, rectangular presentation, and optional thick-cut pepperoni became recurring points of recognition in descriptions of the brand. Ledo Pizza encountered a trademark dispute in 2006. The chain sued the Marcos family, alleging that the family had used the Ledo name and trademark in connection with food sales without authorization. Ledo Pizza claimed that the alleged use resulted in financial loss. The dispute illustrates the importance of the Ledo name to the chain’s expansion and brand-protection strategy. The original restaurant later underwent a notable location change. In September 2009, the Marcos family announced that the Adelphi restaurant would move to downtown College Park. The original location closed in July 2010, and the new College Park restaurant opened on August 27, 2010. The College Park site subsequently closed in November 2020 and reopened about a year later as a Ledo Pizza franchise location. This sequence preserved a Ledo presence near the brand’s founding area while reflecting a change in location and operating structure. Ledo Pizza achieved recognition outside its immediate restaurant base. The Oprah Winfrey Show included the chain among the best pizzas in America. Pizza Today ranked Ledo Pizza 31st on its 2019 Top 100 Companies list, using 2018 gross sales reported for 106 restaurants. In February 2024, the chain reached a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the Baltimore Orioles. The partnership connected the Maryland-founded pizza brand with one of the region’s most prominent professional sports organizations. Ledo Pizza remains an active regional American pizza chain. Its historical significance within the brand is less a national fast-food rollout than the sustained development of a recognizable Maryland-originated restaurant concept. The rectangular thin-crust pizza and its accompanying sauce, cheese, and pepperoni profile continue to serve as the principal symbols of the chain.

1. 2024Baltimore Orioles sponsorship

   Ledo Pizza enters a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the Baltimore Orioles.

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2. 2021College Park location reopens as a franchise

   The College Park restaurant reopens approximately one year after closing, operating as a Ledo Pizza franchise location.

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3. 2020College Park location closes

   The College Park restaurant closes in November.

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4. 2019Pizza Today ranking

   Ledo Pizza is ranked 31st on Pizza Today’s Top 100 Companies list based on 2018 sales reported for 106 restaurants.

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5. 2010College Park restaurant opens

   The Adelphi location closes in July, and the replacement College Park restaurant opens on August 27.

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6. 2009Move from Adelphi to College Park is announced

   The original restaurant’s relocation several miles away to downtown College Park is announced.

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7. 2006Trademark lawsuit involving the Marcos family

   Ledo Pizza sues the Marcos family over alleged unauthorized use of the Ledo name and trademark in food sales.

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8. 1979First franchise is granted

   The first documented Ledo Pizza franchise is awarded to the Fireside Restaurant in Berwyn Heights, Maryland.

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9. 1955First Ledo Pizza opens in Adelphi

   The first Ledo pizzeria opens at the Adelphi Shopping Center on University Boulevard in Adelphi, Maryland, near the University of Maryland, College Park.

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Regional family-oriented pizza chain emphasizing a distinctive rectangular thin-crust format, sweet sauce, smoked provolone cheese, and convenient casual dining.

• Signature rectangular pizzaPizza1955

  Ledo Pizza’s defining product is a rectangular pie with an unusually thin crust. It is associated with a sweet tomato sauce and smoked provolone cheese, creating a flavor profile that distinguishes the chain from conventional round-pizza competitors.

• Thick-cut pepperoni pizzaPizza1955

  The chain is particularly known for thick pepperoni traditionally placed at approximately one piece per slice. Pepperoni may be ordered optionally, but the ingredient is a prominent part of the brand’s recognizable pizza presentation.

• SaladsSide and meal

  Salads complement the pizza-centered menu and provide a lighter option within Ledo Pizza’s casual restaurant format.

• SandwichesEntrée

  Sandwiches are part of the chain’s broader restaurant offering alongside pizza and salads.

• 2024Baltimore Orioles sponsorship

  Maryland · United States

  Ledo Pizza entered a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the Baltimore Orioles, linking the regional restaurant brand to professional baseball and its Maryland customer base.

  Outcome. The agreement expanded Ledo Pizza’s regional sports-marketing presence; specific sponsorship deliverables and financial terms are not stated in the available source.

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• 2021Reopening of the College Park site as a franchiseStrategy

  The College Park restaurant had closed in November 2020 after serving as the successor to the original Adelphi location.

  What changed. The restaurant reopened approximately one year later under Ledo Pizza franchise operation.

  Aftermath. The reopening restored a Ledo Pizza location in the College Park area, although the available source does not provide further operating details.

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• 2009Relocation of the original restaurantStrategy

  The original Adelphi restaurant had operated near the University of Maryland since 1955. The Marcos family announced plans to move it several miles to downtown College Park.

  What changed. The Adelphi location closed in July 2010, and a new College Park restaurant opened on August 27, 2010.

  Aftermath. The College Park restaurant closed in November 2020 and reopened approximately a year later as a Ledo Pizza franchise location.

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• 2006Trademark dispute involving the Marcos familyControversy

  Ledo Pizza sued the Marcos family, alleging unauthorized use of the Ledo name and trademark to sell food and asserting that the conduct caused financial loss.

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• 2024Ledo Pizza signs multiyear Baltimore Orioles sponsorship

  Ledo Pizza reached a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the Baltimore Orioles, strengthening its regional sports-marketing presence.

  Campaign
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• 2021College Park location reopens as a Ledo franchise

  The College Park restaurant reopened approximately one year after its 2020 closure under franchise operation.

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• 2020College Park restaurant closes

  The College Park restaurant closed in November 2020 before later reopening as a Ledo Pizza franchise location.

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• 2010New College Park Ledo restaurant opens

  After the Adelphi location closed in July, the replacement College Park restaurant began operating on August 27.

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• 2009Original Ledo restaurant announces move to downtown College Park

  The Marcos family announced that the original Adelphi restaurant would move several miles to downtown College Park.

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1. Ledo Pizza