PIZZA HALL OF FAME
Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 years or longer? If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com.
Founder Jim Hearn and current president and CEO Steve Jackson (both pictured at bottom left) partnered back in the 1970s and built the Hungry Howie's chain to hundreds of locations through franchising.
HUNGRY HOWIE’S PIZZA & SUBS Known for its value-conscious approach and flavored crusts, this Michigan-based chain, now with 500-plus locations, has thrived on stiff competition through 50 years in business. BY TRACY MORIN Jim Hearn was already an established entrepreneur when he started Hungry Howie’s Pizza & Subs in Taylor, Michigan, in 1973. The pizzeria took over his Tic Toc hamburger stand, marking his return to the food that would become a lifelong trademark. “He’d owned a couple of pizza places in Detroit before the hamburger stand; at 16, I started delivering pizzas for him,” recalls Steve Jackson, who opened the brand’s second store in 1976 and is now president and CEO of the company, based in Madison Heights, Michigan. “We all grew up very blue-collar, and Jim seemed like the most successful person we knew. We nicknamed him Howie, after Howard Hughes.” Hungry Howie’s took off, amassing a dozen locations in the ’70s. When Hearn moved to Florida in 1982, he expanded the business there, while Jackson pressed for franchising. The first franchised location opened in 1983, the same year its now-iconic flavored crusts launched. By ’86, now with 60 stores, the company established its first distribution center in Michigan, then another the following year in Florida. “In the early days, the sauce had a dozen-plus spices, and we’d take paper lunch bags and measure out all of the ingredients by hand,” Jackson says with a laugh. “You can imagine the consistency issues! The distribution business created a better standard of product. We fought the big guys in Detroit: The first Domino’s, Little Caesars and Hungry Howie’s all started within 25 miles of each other. So we’ve
always been extremely competitive and value-conscious—because we were forced to be.” Hungry Howie’s sought that competitive edge through technology (adding computers in the 1990s), affordable tiered pricing, a focus on carryout and delivery, and a willingness to try new things. For example, in 2021, the brand decided to add one third-party delivery service; now, it makes up 6% to 7% of business company-wide. “We try to make decisions that are profitable and reduce friction in the customer experience,” Jackson explains. “You need constant tweaking to stay competitive. We’ve survived everything over the years. But whether it’s a financial crisis or a pandemic, pizza matches up with all of it.” The brand also gives back, focusing on the National Breast Cancer Foundation as its choice charity; in 2023, it will surpass $5 million raised. And, though Hearn passed away in 2013, his wife, Ginny, and two daughters are still involved with Hungry Howie’s, as are Jackson’s wife and two children. “It’s all about the people,” Jackson says. “That’s a core value of the company: to treat everyone—vendors, franchisees, team members, customers—like family. As we’ve grown, it’s just become one big family.”
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor. 66
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