Ledo Pizza turned rectangular pans, pastry-like dough, smoked provolone and hurriedly cut pepperoni into a regional identity. Seventy years later, the family franchise is testing how far a Maryland original can travel without rounding off its edges.
A Florida barbecue chain built for repetition still insists on an old-fashioned constraint: the smoke happens in the restaurant. Nearly six decades in, Sonny's is pairing certified pitmasters and oak-fired craft with apps, catering and a franchise growth plan.
Behind four familiar counters sits a less familiar machine: a mostly franchised platform turning coffee, burgers, chicken and subs into royalties, data and global restaurant growth.