Shravan Bandari lived in Ohio for nearly a decade, and it was there that he discovered Donatos Pizza. Now he has introduced the brand to Allen, Texas.
Bandari opened Donatos’ newest Texas location on July 29 with a grand-opening celebration that featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Allen Chamber of Commerce and local community officials.
Bandari, being community and family-oriented, felt drawn to the family-owned aspect of Donatos and the brand’s dedication to giving back to local communities.
“I have great family and friends supporting me here in Texas,” he said. “I always wondered why we never had Donatos in Allen, so I decided to jump on the opportunity. I have always worked with or for family members, so I immediately identified with the Grote family and their dedication to growing the business together, as a family.”
Bandari plans on opening at least two more stores within the Plano area.
Donatos Pizza currently operates locations in Flower Mound and Frisco, Texas. With the pipeline of new stores growing rapidly, the brand anticipates that several new Texas locations will open their doors beginning in 2025.
“Texas is a huge priority for us,” said Kevin King, CEO and president of Donatos Pizza. “We are attracting very capable partners who are ready to build something meaningful with us in the Lone Star State. Shravan is one of these partners from whom we expect great things.”
The opening of the Allen area’s first Donatos store emphasizes the brand’s ambitious long-term growth strategy in Texas, where it aims to open more than 100 locations over time across key markets including Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Waco, Austin and East Texas.
As expansion accelerates, high-potential territories remain available across key Texas markets, offering a limited-time opportunity for qualified franchise partners to join the brand before these markets are fully claimed, the company said.
Donatos Pizza was founded in 1963 when Ohio State sophomore Jim Grote bought a small pizza shop in Columbus, Ohio. Headquartered in Columbus, Donatos and its franchise partners operate more than 176 stores. Additionally, Donatos Pizza is served in nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants.
