Sally’s Apizza to Add Hundreds of Locations Across 12 States

Sally’s Apizza, the legendary New Haven pizzeria that helped put Connecticut on the national pizza map, is gearing up for a massive expansion. The new 38-page strategy document lays out a path from a handful of New England locations to an audacious goal of 1,000 restaurants nationwide.

Sally’s Apizza Eyes National Footprint from New Haven Roots

Founded in 1938, Sally’s Apizza is synonymous with classic New Haven-style pie—thin-crust, coal-fired, and fiercely loved by fans from Hartford to Stamford and beyond. Backed by a hospitality group with deep pockets and big ambitions, the company now wants to export that New Haven flavor to every corner of the country.

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The plan starts with a substantial rollout across the East Coast and Sun Belt states. Eventually, they’ll push deeper into the Midwest and West.

For Connecticut residents in cities like New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, and Bridgeport, the expansion raises a key question. Can Sally’s go national without losing the local character that made it famous?

First Phase: 255 Locations Across 12 States

The expansion blueprint targets 255 locations in 12 states for the first major phase. That initial wave gives Sally’s a much larger presence, but it’s still relatively concentrated in select regions.

Texas is slated for about 45 locations
Florida could see roughly 35 locations
Several East Coast states, including Connecticut, are pegged for around 15 restaurants each

Right now, the footprint is modest: five locations in Connecticut and two in Massachusetts. For longtime fans in places like New London, Danbury, and Norwalk, that kind of jump—from seven open restaurants to hundreds—marks a dramatic shift from neighborhood favorite to national chain.

From Wooster Street to the “Chipotle of Pizza”

Sally’s hasn’t been operating on its own for some time. In 2017, Lineage Hospitality acquired the brand and made it clear they wanted to scale the concept far beyond New Haven’s Wooster Street.

The company’s leadership says the goal is to become the “Chipotle of pizza”—a streamlined, high-volume operation built around a recognizable, repeatable product that still nods to its artisan roots. They want someone in Dallas or Orlando to get a taste of New Haven-style apizza similar to what you’d find in downtown New Haven or West Hartford.

Two Restaurant Models: Flagships and Strip-Mall Units

Sally’s will rely on two primary formats to fit a variety of markets and real estate options.

5,000-square-foot flagship restaurants – Larger, destination-style locations reminiscent of the original Wooster Street shop, meant for high-traffic urban or entertainment districts.
3,000-square-foot strip-mall units – More compact, efficient restaurants designed for suburban plazas and shopping centers, particularly along the East Coast.

The smaller model plays a big role in the rapid East Coast expansion. It could put Sally’s within easy reach of commuters in cities like Stamford and in suburban communities from Fairfield County to central Massachusetts.

Near-Term Growth: 18 Restaurants in Five States

While the 255-location rollout is ambitious, Sally’s is already mid-stride on a nearer-term buildout. The company has 11 additional locations announced but not yet open, adding to the seven currently operating.

Those forthcoming restaurants include:

Boston, Massachusetts
Rhode Island (specific cities not yet detailed)
Foxwoods Resort Casino in southeastern Connecticut
Boca Raton, Florida

Once those doors open, Sally’s expects to be operating 18 restaurants across five states. That gives the brand a much broader testing ground—from college-heavy Boston to the resort traffic at Foxwoods and the year-round tourism in South Florida.

The 1,000-Location Question

The expansion plan doesn’t spell out timing. The document references a long-term goal of 1,000 locations multiple times, but offers no firm schedule or deadlines.

That leaves plenty of room for adjustments, whether the rollout exceeds expectations or hits the kind of growing pains that come with rapid franchising.

New Haven-Style Pizza Goes National

Sally’s isn’t the first New Haven icon to expand far beyond the Elm City. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, another Wooster Street legend, has already grown to 17 locations across seven states.

Pepe’s success really proves that a deeply local, Connecticut-born style of pizza can travel—if you get it right. That’s no small thing, honestly.

As Sally’s pushes forward, folks from New Haven to Hartford are watching. Can the coal-fired classic that built its reputation survive the leap into a 1,000-unit national chain?

If it does, New Haven’s claim as one of America’s great pizza capitals will only grow stronger. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to see that—no matter how far from Connecticut the next slice is served?

Here is the source article for this story: Sally’s Apizza plans to add hundreds of locations across 12 states

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