Happy Joe’s Pizza CEO Says Brand Is ‘More Than Pizza’ Tom Sacco, CEO, president and chief “happiness” officer at Happy Joe’s Pizza, says the brand is a “commercial enterprise” but says “the calling is so much more” to the communities it serves. (Fox News Digital / Olivia Palombo)
For over 50 years, Pizza Happy Joe served much more than its famous pizza and ice cream, it found something more important: a “safe haven” for children and families, according to the company’s director of “happiness,” Tom Sacco.
The brand, headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, began in 1972 and was founded by Joe Whitty. A “baker by trade,” he ended up working for Shakey’s Pizza.
“From what I understand, he went to Shakey’s and said, ‘Hey, I have an opportunity with my experience, I think I can really improve our pizza dough,'” recalls Tom Sacco, current CEO of Happy Joe’s Pizza, president and head of “Happiness.”
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“They said, ‘Well, if you don’t think our pizza dough is that good, why don’t you go away and start your own pizza place,'” Sacco continued.
To this day, the brand continues to use the same dough recipe, according to Sacco.
“I try to be as real, not knowing him, but understanding some of his characteristics and attributes,” Sacco told FOX Business.
Sacco has spent his entire career in the catering company and grew up working in his grandfather’s kitchen at the age of eight. After earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree and completing law school, he still chose to pursue a career in the industry.
Happy Joe’s Pizza was the first restaurant company in the world to create a Taco Pizza, according to its website. (Happy Joe’s Pizza / Unknown)
After a career in other restaurants, he joined Happy Joe’s Pizza in 2020.
“I’m very comfortable in the industry, but what really excited me was in the DNA of Happy Joe’s. It’s always about family and it revolves around kids,” Sacco said.
Sacco said during a visit to Iowa Before taking over the company, he would walk around stores asking people if they knew the brand. He explained that those he spoke with “kept going and saying [him] all these magical memories they had.”
“I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to help them because it’s a good brand, but I’m also going to be selfish,'” Sacco said. “I’m going to help them because I want my family, my grandchildren, to grow up with the same memories that all these people told me about.”
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In 2025, the company reported a “pivotal year” of growth and impact in the community, according to a statement shared with Fox Business.
The brand reopened a franchise in New Ulm, Minnesota, with “renewed development efforts” supporting planned growth in Texas and Iowa, among other states. It’s also expanding its presence on the West Coast, with an opening in Oro Valley, Arizona, this spring.
“This year has shown what is possible when franchisees, team members and guests believe in this mission,” Sacco said in the release. “We have captured new markets, earned recognition in our industry and created meaningful moments for the communities we love. As we look toward 2026, we are committed to keeping this spirit at the center of everything we do.
The company launched a food truck in October 2025, according to reports. (Happy Joe’s Pizza / Unknown)
Even though the company has seen tremendous success in recent years, it has not come without routine inflationary pressures. Sacco shared that despite these pressures, he “resurrected” the original products that Whitty used just before the business began. Covid-19 pandemic.
“So when everyone got hit, we saw an uptick in sales,” Sacco said. “This increase really continued until the end of [2025]”.
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Sacco said the effort felt like he was “going to go against the grain.”
“It was almost like I was going to go against the grain, not because I had to do something different, because I believed that when the long-time franchisees said, ‘Tom, if we can tell you something, [it’s to] follow the recipe [Whitty] had,” Sacco said.
The brand is also deeply involved in philanthropic work and community participation. According to its website, the company has won numerous awards and created a variety of programs to “give back to the communities that helped make [them] so successful.”
The restaurant has various locations throughout the Quad Cities area and is looking to expand to Texas, Arizona and more, according to Sacco. (Happy Joe’s Pizza / Unknown)
In an emotional moment, Sacco said that although the company is a business, “the call [of Happy Joe’s Pizza] It’s much more.”
The company organizes a annual event called Happy Joe’s Holiday Parties for children with special needs. This year, the company reported about 2,000 children in attendance. Sacco said these moments are what “gives him juice” for the future.
“It’s so touching for me to see these kids care so much about a pizza,” Sacco said with tears in his eyes. “It’s not the pizza, it’s the magic that pizza creates for them.”
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As the company continues its growth efforts in 2026, Sacco said he plans to continue being a “servant leader.”
“I try to be the best servant leader I can be. I try to lead by example… If you care, that’s what you do,” Sacco said. “I think bringing the focus back to Happy Joe’s was one of the missing pieces.”
