born 4th july on the of

When Lenny Rago of Panino’s Pizzeria declared his independence from thirdparty partners last year, his sales and profits shot up. But he’s weighing more drastic changes for the future.

BY RICK HYNUM

Lenny Rago comes from an Italian family, but he had an all-American childhood in Chicago—tussling and fighting with his older brother, Gino, playing back-alley hockey with his buddies, riding his bike to work at a mom-and-pop pizza shop. He was even born on the 4th of July. But the times, they are a-changin’ in the USA, and so is the pizza industry. And Rago, who co-owns Panino’s Pizzeria in the Windy City area with his brother and their friend, Bruno Brunetti, knows he has to change as well to survive.