AKRON, Ohio – DeCheco’s Pizzeria, a family-owned restaurant that got its start in Akron in 1993, opened a new location in Hudson this month at 178 W. Streetsboro St., Suite 4.
It’s the fourth location for the pizzeria, which also has locations in Ellet/Springfield, Fairlawn and Firestone Park.
DeCheco’s was started in Firestone Park by family matriarch Shirley DeCheco. Originally a hairdresser, DeCheco suffered a broken ankle that kept her from cutting hair. After talking with her husband, Jack DeCheco, about possible business ideas, the duo agreed to open a pizzeria and DeCheco’s was born. Shirley DeCheco died in May at age 73, according to her son, Nathan DeCheco.
“I remember we had a mixer delivered to my childhood home, and it was pretty cool, because I was maybe 4 or 5 at the time, so I got to see the process from the start. And I got to see my mom in the kitchen, articulating her craftsmanship to develop what DeCheco’s is today,” CEO Nathan DeCheco told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
The pizzeria is well known locally for its white pizza, which was created by Shirley DeCheco herself. The pizza features the restaurant’s original creamy white garlic sauce, fresh tomatoes, banana peppers, black olives and fresh basil.
“The white pizza basically put us on the map,” DeCheco said. “Back in 1993, there was no Internet, or it was the very early stages of the Internet. So everyone who knew about the white pizza found out about it from word of mouth. And over the years, a lot of people have tried to mimic it, but were never able to duplicate the recipe.”
DeCheco’s pizzas feature homemade dough and a variety of fresh toppings. Customers can choose from one of 18 signature pizza options or build their own pie.
Another popular pizza option is the pizzeria’s hot honey pizza, which features red sauce, ricotta cheese, locally sourced pepperoni and hot honey, according to DeCheco. Additional menu offerings include salads such as antipasto, cobb and Caesar, and shareable appetizers like garlic knots, mozzarella moons and pickle chips. The pizzeria has also partnered with Pav’s Creamery to sell ice cream for dessert.
As the pizzeria has grown, they have partnered with a company that follows their sauce and dough recipes exactly to ensure consistency across the four locations, according to DeCheco.
The new pizzeria employs approximately 20 people. Customers can order food to go or have it delivered. Orders can be placed online or by calling the Hudson DeCheco’s at 330-624-9952. The pizzeria uses an artificial intelligence phone ordering system to ensure order accuracy, according to the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Cory O’Connor.
“There’s a big difference between service and hospitality, and this lets us really focus on the hospitality side of it, because we don’t have to be everything to everyone. We can make pizzas, and then when people are coming in, we can give them that personal touch,” O’Connor said.
The pizzeria is also planning to open additional locations this year in Munroe Falls and Cuyahoga Falls. Though DeCheco admits it seems ambitious to open three locations in a matter of months, the additional locations have been in the works for two years, he said.
“The real estate just popped up at the right time, but we have been busy working behind the scenes to nail the infrastructure of the business, the people and the product before focusing on expanding,” DeCheco said.
All DeCheco’s Pizzeria locations are open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.