Today, we feature the marker dedicated to Cassano’s Pizza King, located outside the company headquarters in Kettering.
The marker is located on the south east corner of E. Stroop Street and Hempstead Station Drive.
Marker location
Marker text
Side A:
Kettering grocer Victor “Vic” Cassano, Sr. (1922-2002) and his mother-in-law Caroline “Mom” Donisi (1893-1987) opened what became Cassano’s Pizza King on June 4, 1953.
Their signature square-cut, thin-crust “pizza pie” was an instant success; selling 400 pizzas the first day and propelling Cassano’s to one of the top pizza chains in America by the mid-1970s.
Vic Sr. was a trailblazer, as Cassano’s was reportedly one of the first in the nation to franchise its stores (in 1955) and offered delivery via its “Pizza Bugs” in the early 1960s. A true entrepreneur, Vic Sr. also developed other restaurant concepts, including, by 1980, London Bobby Fish & Chips and The Commodore.
Side B:
In 1989, Vic Cassano, Jr. (1945-2010), acquired control of the company. This visionary leader led Cassano’s through tremendous challenges while positioning it for a new generation of growth.
In 1994, Vic Jr. expanded the manufacturing of their “Signature Dough” to support a growing interstate wholesale business. In 2004, he streamlined the task of ordering a pizza by opening the Cassano’s Call Center, which served all of its stores. Vic Jr. had a steadfast commitment to take Cassano’s trademark taste to the world, and in 2010 he introduced the “Home Edition” pizzas, freshly prepared in Dayton and then frozen and delivered to the homes of fans nationwide.
The company continues in the pursuit of upholding the Cassano’s motto, “La prova è nel gusto… The Proof is in the Taste!”
The Ohio Historical Markers program
Beginning in the 1950s, the program encompasses over 1,750 unique markers that tell the state’s history as written by its communities.
Reading a marker
In addition to the text describing the historic marker, in the lower right is a number. This indicates the sequence number of the sign installed in a particular county.
Example above
Marker No. 22-57. The 2 indicates that this particular marker is the 22nd marker to be erected in the county and 57 indicates that the marker is located in Montgomery County.
More information about markers
You can find information about all of Ohio’s historical markers at the Remarkable Ohio website.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF
Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF