That’s all it took for George Grahovac and John McTighe, local engineering professionals, to decide they wanted to start a Belleria franchise here in the Columbus area. “We’ve always wanted to start up a small business, and once we tasted the great products of Belleria, we knew that it was sure to be a success”, said George and John. After much research and hard work, the two picked the newly renovated Graceland Shopping Center as the location for their first restaurant. Belleria Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant has been open since November 27, 2006 and George and John are happy with the results. “It’s been a lot of hard work and time away from our families, but the satisfaction of putting out a great product and seeing people enjoying it has really been rewarding”, said George and John. “Always remembering that the customer comes first is something that we have known and practiced throughout our careers, and that’s something that seems to be hard to find anymore,” they said.

Belleria Pizzeria started years ago in Ohio. In 1953 Lena Bell opened a small carry out pizza shop on Albert Street in Youngstown, serving only pizza. The shop was an instant success. The quality of the homemade dough and sauce combination with the finest meats and cheeses available set Belleria apart from any other pizza place in Youngstown. Belleria is now one of the most popular places for pizza in northeast Ohio. Also, Belleria is not just a pizzeria, we have great dinner entrees, homemade wedding soup and salads, a wonderful sandwich lineup that includes hand cut potato fries, and homemade desserts!