Craveworthy Buys Papa Gino's and Puts Wings in Every Store

Wing It On! has 45 restaurants. If Craveworthy Brands' newest deal goes to plan, it will have more than 145, and it won't have to build new restaurants to get there.

An affiliate of Craveworthy has signed a definitive agreement to buy New England Authentic Eats, the Massachusetts parent company of Papa Gino's Pizzeria, the company announced Nov. 10. The deal adds more than 160 restaurants and about $160 million in annual revenue, bringing Craveworthy to nearly 500 locations. It is expected to close by Dec. 31. Terms were not disclosed.

The pizza stays. Papa Gino's keeps its name, menu and identity. What changes is the kitchen: Craveworthy plans to introduce Wing It On!, the Connecticut wing chain in its portfolio, at every Papa Gino's across New England, a co-brand the company described as a path to grow the wing concept without building traditional new locations.

“Pizza and wings belong together. But the menu is only the start,” said Gregg Majewski, Craveworthy's founder and CEO.

Papa Gino's has changed hands under pressure before. Founded in East Boston in 1961, the chain filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after closing nearly 50 units and was later sold to private equity firm Wynnchurch Capital for $20 million, QSR Magazine reported.

For operators, a co-brand is a cheaper way to add sales than a new build, but it puts a second set of recipes, equipment and training into every kitchen. Craveworthy says it will back the Papa Gino's restaurant and franchise system with combined purchasing, integrated technology and training. Those are the line items Papa Gino's franchisees will want in writing before the first tray of wings arrives.

Craveworthy, which counted more than $300 million in systemwide sales before the deal, is one of several platforms collecting smaller brands under one roof. Its portfolio already spans pizza, chicken, coffee and Mediterranean concepts, and last week Serruya Private Equity added two small Toronto franchises with plans to take them south.

Majewski is not pausing. The company says it wants another deal of comparable size every six to nine months, which puts the next one somewhere around the middle of 2027.