History
In March 1967, 21-year-old Jay Howland and Brian J. McLaughlin opened "Ma Riva's Sub Shop" in Dedham, Massachusetts. Later, the name was changed to Angelo Sub Shop, and the letter D was added, supposedly standing for "delicious." D'Angelo sold salads, Syrian pocket bread and sub sandwiches. Their most popular sub was the Steak and Cheese sandwich.
D'Angelo owned Liberty Bakery which baked and delivered all the bread to each store. They owned Progressive Foods distribution center which delivered all the food to each store every week and they owned a USDA meat processing plant to shave the 50,000 lbs. of steak consumed each week.
D'Angelo had the highest weekly volume of any sub chain store in 1993.
PepsiCo bought up D'Angelo in 1993 with the intent to grow the chain into a national brand alongside its other properties such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken. But, they never did. They eliminated D'Angelo's ice cream brand, "Chips" after purchasing the chain.
Although making no claims to originality in the concept, D'Angelo's established itself as a purveyor of steak and cheese sandwiches endemic to the Northeastern United States. The "Number 9" (so named for its initial place on the menu) consists of finely chopped steak, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and melted American cheese. This is also available as a "Steak Bomb," a spicier variant with genoa salami, ham capicola and melted provolone cheese.
In August 1997, Papa Gino's Holdings Corporation, the parent company of Papa Gino's, acquired D'Angelo, from prior owner Yum! Brands (then known as Pepsico Inc.'s Pizza Hut unit). D'Angelo's menu currently features more than 44 sandwiches, a variety of soups and fresh-made salads.
Read more about this topic: D'Angelo Sandwich Shops
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