Family-owned and -operated hospitality company Thompson Restaurants recently opened its eighth outpost of Wiseguy Pizza—a brand with locations in D.C., Virginia and Maryland—in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To commemorate the opening, the brand gave away free cheese and pepperoni slices on May 7 to all in-store customers from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., which followed a ribbon cutting event at 11 a.m.
The event marked the debut of the first Wiseguy Pizza location in Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and Thompson Restaurants’ president and chairman, Warren Thompson, were both in attendance for the celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We are so proud of the team that opened our very first Wiseguy South Florida location in Fort Lauderdale,” says Alex Berentzen, COO of Thompson Hospitality. “This location marks the fourth state in which we operate. We’re thrilled to bring the absolute best New York-style pizza to Fort Lauderdale, and so far we have been received with open arms.”
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The growing pizzeria’s New York-style pies are characterized by a chewy crust baked in stone deck ovens, California tomato sauce, Wisconsin cheese, and virgin olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy. The menu features vegan, square and gluten-free cauliflower pies in addition to traditional round versions. Its newest location is strategically placed on Fort Lauderdale’s bustling Las Olas Boulevard, which offers a plethora of shopping and dining options.
Wiseguy opened in 2012 to rave reviews from The Washington Post, the Washingtonian and Yelp. It has since won best pizza slice by Washington City Paper readers several years in a row.
Thompson Restaurants was founded in 1992 and owns and operates restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Ohio and South Florida. It oversees 15 brands across more than 70 locations, including Wiseguy Pizza, and is rapidly expanding to different markets across the U.S.
