For more than 50 years, Happy Joe’s Pizza has been serving more than just their famous pizza and ice cream, it has found something more important: a “safe haven” for children and families, according to the company’s Chief “Happiness” Officer Tom Sacco.
Headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, the brand began in 1972 and was founded by Joe Whitty. He was a “baker by trade” and eventually went to work for Shakey’s Pizza.
“From what I understand, he went to Shakey’s and said, ‘Hey, I have an opportunity with my background, I think I can really improve our pizza dough,’” recalls Tom Sacco, current Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief “Happiness” Officer of Happy Joe’s Pizza.
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“They said, ‘If you don’t like our pizza dough, why don’t you just leave and start your own pizza restaurant,’” Sacco continued.
To this day, according to Sacco, the brand continues to use the same dough recipe.
Sacco has spent his entire career in the restaurant industry, growing up in his grandfather’s kitchen at the age of eight. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees and completing his law degree, he still chose to pursue a career in the industry.
According to their website, Happy Joe’s Pizza was the first restaurant company in the world to create a Taco Pizza. (Happy Joe’s Pizza / Unknown)
After a career at other restaurants, he joined Happy Joe’s Pizza in 2020.
“I feel very comfortable in the industry, but what really excited me is in the DNA of Happy Joe’s. It’s always been about family and it’s about kids,” Sacco said.
Sacco said that during a visit to Iowa before he was set to run the company, he walked through stores and asked people if they were familiar with the brand. He explained that those he spoke to would “keep telling the story [him] all these magical memories they had.”
“I said to myself, ‘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 and my grandchildren to grow up with the same memories that all these people told me.”
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In 2025, the company reported a “milestone year” of growth and impact in the community, according to a press release shared with Fox Business.
The brand reopened a franchise in New Ulm, Minnesota, with “renewed development efforts” to support planned growth in Texas and Iowa, among others. It is also expanding its presence on the West Coast, with an opening in Oro Valley, Arizona, in the spring.
“This year has shown what is possible when franchisees, team members and guests believe in that mission,” Sacco said in the release. “We’ve expanded into new markets, gained industry recognition and created meaningful moments for the communities we love. As we look to 2026, we want to keep that spirit at the heart of everything we do.”
According to reports, the company will debut a food truck in October 2025. (Happy Joe’s Pizza / Unknown)
While the company has seen tremendous success in recent years, that hasn’t come without routine inflationary pressures. Sacco said that despite this pressure, he “brought back to life” the original products Whitty used just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So when everyone got a hit, we saw an increase in sales,” Sacco said. ‘That revival actually continued until the end of the month [2025].”
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Sacco said this effort felt like he was “going against the grain.”
“It was almost like I was going against the grain, not because I had to do something different, because I believed that when the long-term franchisees said, ‘Tom, if we can tell you something, [it’s to] follow the recipe [Whitty] ,” Sacco said.
The brand is also deeply involved in philanthropic work and community involvement. According to their website, the company has won numerous awards and created a variety of programs to “give back to the communities that have helped [them] so successful.”
The restaurant has several locations in 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 while the company is a business, “the calling [of Happy Joe’s Pizza] is so much more.”
The company hosts an annual event called Happy Joe’s Holiday Parties for Children with Special Needs. This year, the company reported that approximately 2,000 children attended. Sacco said these moments “lighten him up” for the future.
“It’s so moving to 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 the pizza creates for them.”
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As the company continues its growth efforts into 2026, Sacco said he plans to remain 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 caring back to Happy Joe’s was one of the missing elements.”
