Happy Joe's at a Glance

Lawrence Joseph Whitty was born in Minot, North Dakota in 1937. He was one of five children growing up on the Whitty family farm. Joe was trained as a baker and worked in the baking industry for several years. Later he supervised and managed a popular pizza restaurant. Joe began to develop his own ideas about a new restaurant concept he wanted to create. He knew that with his baking experience he could create a better tasting pizza than was currently being offered. He also heard his patrons planning to go out for ice cream after their meal, so Joe then decided that his concept would combine his unique pizzas with Ice Cream.

After several attempts to obtain financing and with the help of the SBA, Joe obtained a $30,000 loan and on November 16 1972 opened the doors to the first Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor in the Village of East Davenport, Iowa. The combination of Pizza & Ice Cream proved to be a huge success for Joe. Since then Happy Joe's continually researches and develops new and innovative concepts to ensure a competitive advantage.

States Where We Are Established
Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin & North Dakota

Different Concepts to Choose From
Full-Size Restaurants and Delivery/Carryout

Core Products
Pizza, pasta, calzones, sandwiches, salads, ice cream, appetizers, beer, wine, soft drinks

Distribution
Dine-In, Carryout, Pick-up Window & Delivery

Services
Birthday Parties, Catering, and Special events

Community-Based Programs
Scholarships, reading programs, fund-raising, special-needs children's parties and Business to Business programs

Attractions
Family-Fun Centers (For Full-size units only)