Sally’s Apizza, the iconic New Haven pizzeria with nearly 90 years of history behind it, is taking a bold step in becoming a nationally recognized pizza chain. According to a press release, Sally’s Apizza has signed on as the exclusive food sponsor of the Ferrari Challenge racing series.
“Ferrari and Sally’s Apizza both exist for the same reason—to bring passion and excitement into people’s lives,” said David Morgan on behalf of Sally’s Apizza. “Ferrari achieves this by building the most compelling sports cars in the industry. We do it by creating the most exciting pizza restaurants in the world.”
The partnership includes branding on the Ferrari 296 GTB race car driven by Dylan Medler, the 2024 Ferrari GT North American Champion. The sponsorship is sending a message, too: Sally’s will soon expand into Florida, with multiple locations planned in Miami-Dade County. The brand, long anchored to its flagship Wooster Street location in New Haven, has recently begun extending its reach beyond Connecticut, opening its first out-of-state store in Woburn, Massachusetts in late 2023.
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Ted Zizlsperger, chief operating officer of Sally’s Apizza since 2020 and a Union Square Hospitality Group alum, is one of the driving forces behind the brand’s growth strategy. Over the past few years, the brand’s restaurant count has climbed to six—with plans to add as many as 12 more restaurants by the end of 2026 according to the Sally’s Apizza website. “We want to bring the New Haven pizza market out to the world,” Zizlsperger told PMQ in 2024.
In expanding to Florida, Sally’s will be following in the footsteps of New Haven trailblazer Frank Pepe Pizzeria, which already has two locations in The Sunshine State. It is a fitting move for the brand, which has deep historical ties to Pepe’s. Sally’s was formed in 1938 when Filomena Consiglio, sister of Frank Pepe, bought the building that the original Sally’s Apizza resides in to this day. Filomena tasked her son, Sal Consiglio, with running the pizzeria, which he did for over 50 years. In 2017, Sal’s two sons, Bobby and Rick, sold the company.
According to Morgan, Sally’s partnership is as much about messaging as it is about marketing. “Our support of Ferrari’s single-marque racing series is an indication to everyone of what Sally’s will be bringing to Florida and the entire East Coast—pizza restaurants so exciting that they become leading destinations,” Morgan said.
