A nearly year-long saga of turmoil and controversy at DeLorenzo’s Pizza appears to have reached an end with the longtime owner out of the picture and a new owner taking over. But the 87-year-old pizza shop, located in Hamilton, New Jersey, will stay in the family, as NJ.com has reported.
The tumult kicked off in March 2025 when the state of New Jersey seized DeLorenzo’s Pizza, owned by Rick DeLorenzo, for unpaid taxes. On social media, Rick DeLorenzo attributed the tax problem to a challenging business climate, noting at the time that his restaurant’s income had “dropped drastically in the last 10 years.”
He then launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $20,000, hoping to cover the debt. But some Facebook followers slammed that move. Their argument: Why should his customers pay his taxes for him when Rick DeLorenzo already charged sales tax for every item sold on the restaurant’s menu?
Others were more sympathetic, however, and the GoFundMe campaign helped—as of April 15, it had generated more than $14,000. With loans and assistance from friends and family, DeLorenzo’s reopened in April.
Even so, adding a peculiar twist to the tale, a cannabis dispensary called Vision Cannabis was scheduled to take over the lease on the building last summer. No problem: DeLorenzo’s and Vision Cannabis would share the space.
But there was one final twist to come: As NJ.com announced this week, Rick DeLorenzo, the pizzeria’s longtime owner, is now out of the business. His pizza-making nephew, Tyler DeLorenzo (pictured below in 2020), is taking over the restaurant and plans to give it a new look and a new name.
Tyler already owns DeLorenzo’s The Burg in Leavittown, Pennsylvania. He explained that he has taken control of the DeLorenzo’s Pizza operation at the request of his uncle’s landlord. He would have preferred to keep his uncle on-board, he said, but his accountants, lawyers and others advised him against it.
“To be honest, I don’t know exactly what was going on in Hamilton,” Tyler said in the NJ.com interview. “I think (my uncle) is the only one that truly knows what went on there.”
But he added, “My uncle is a good guy. I would be proud if I could have my uncle there, but I think the kicker that really pissed a lot of people off was the GoFundMe thing.”
Rick DeLorenzo and Tyler DeLorenzo are descendants of Pasquale and Maria De Lorenzo, who opened DeLorenzo’s Pizza in 1938. The DeLorenzo family has been spawning pizza makers and pizzeria owners ever since. Another family descendant owns the famous De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, New Jersey, and Yardley, Pennsylvania, but those restaurants are not affiliated with DeLorenzo’s Pizza. Both, however, serve up Trenton-style tomato pies. (And, yes, “De Lorenzo” and “DeLorenzo” are both correct—the family’s name has evolved over time.)
As a third-generation member of the storied family, Tyler brings plenty of credibility to the rebranded pizzeria. He worked for his uncle Rick at DeLorenzo’s Pizza for about 10 years. He left to attend the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, then founded DeLorenzo’s The Burg in 2017.
With Tyler at the reins, DeLorenzo’s Pizza will soon operate as a second location of DeLorenzo’s The Burg. He also pointed out that the pizzeria and the cannabis dispensary will be “completely separate.”
“The landlord split the building in half and got a dispensary to go in on the one side,” Tyler explained. “We have nothing to do with that dispensary. I want them to do well, and they want me to do well.”
Additionally, in a November 25 post on Facebook, Tyler asserted, “We have no business connection to the previous owners of DeLorenzo’s Pizza on Sloan Avenue.”
That post continued: “Over nine years ago, we opened our first location in Levittown, PA called DeLorenzo’s The Burg. The Burg has been successful because we have been unwavering in the pursuit of building a product and environment that emulates what my grandfather, Big Rick, built on Hamilton Avenue. If you enjoy quality food & service in a family friendly environment, the Burg will be your new favorite spot! This is an exciting opportunity for me to continue the legacy of my grandfather and restore the community of Hamilton’s faith in the brand that he worked so hard to build.”
