Pie Squared At Ledo Pizza

By Rochelle Karina

Whether feeding a crowd of sports fans, appeasing hordes of hungry teenagers, or just having a family dinner, pizza has long remained an American staple. With the popularity of delivery-style pizzas, many have forgotten what truly good pizza made from quality, fresh ingredients is like.

But not when there’s a Ledo Pizza around!

Ledo offers dine in or carry out only, as they believe delivery would detract from their quality. The first Ledo Pizza opened in 1955, and the small family franchise has been going strong ever since. Currently, they have 100 locations in the Mid-Atlantic region, including several in Anne Arundel County. Three of those locations – Severna Park, Pasadena and Millersville – are owned by Martin Gorman.

Gorman took over the Severna Park location in 1998 after years in the IT business. “When the bubble burst, I was looking for a change and wanted to be my own boss,” he explains. With ties to the folks behind the Ledo pizza franchise, he received an ownership opportunity and hasn’t looked back since. “Severna Park is a great fit for this business,” Gorman continues. “It’s family-oriented, Mom and Pop with two kids who are looking for great value for their dollar, and who want quality.”

Ledo Pizza takes a different approach to the ingredients used in their pizza, much unlike the standard stuff found at most corporate shops. The first thing anyone new to Ledo will notice is the square pizza. The next thing will be the sweet-tasting sauce and the smoked provolone cheese. “Ledo is the largest user of smoked provolone in the United States,” says Gorman.

Though Ledo Pizza is a franchise, it doesn’t mean it’s a distant corporation. Gorman supports local education and charitable causes, sponsoring fund-raiser nights at their locations. Last year, Gorman hosted several weeknight evening specials, ultimately raising $30,000 to go towards local elementary and middle schools. They’ve worked with the Morgan Beverly Foundation, the Cisco Center, and the Chamber of Commerce to help out in the community. Gorman explains he has no plans to change that.

“We want to move forward and keep expanding,” he says. “We want to reach additional customers. There are still folks who have never had a Ledo Pizza. Eventually, we’ll be adding more locations in Anne Arundel County.”

Local means everything to Gorman. “Shopping local is important; it means you’re supporting the local economy, not large corporations. It’s why we do fundraisers, so we can give back to the local economy, to the schools that need help right now. This community has the same attitude and goodwill. People are involved and they want to help out.”

Gorman hires locally, staffing over 35 employees at each location, “We’re the small businesses of America,” he says. Aside from great pizza, the Ledo menu offers a variety of additional fare, including appetizers, entrée and side salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches and calzones. Plus, they offer catering for all events. All of Gorman’s locations also offer a large dining area that can accommodate up to 50 people for an in-house party.

Find them online at www.ledopizza.com, or call 410-544-3344 for the Severna Park location, 410-729-3333 for Millersville or 410-439-1955 for Pasadena.