The story of Covelli Enterprises begins with the late Albert Covelli Sr., a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Covelli launched an open-air market just after returning home from his time in the military during World War II. Soon after, he expanded to three locations and added a produce company. It didn’t take long for him to begin selling produce to big customers, including Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s restaurants. Kroc and Covelli shared the same vision regarding the need for quality and top-notch service. Soon after in 1959, Covelli opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in Warren, Ohio, where Covelli Enterprises is headquartered today. Albert and his son, Sam Covelli, eventually climbed the “golden arches” to own and operate 50 McDonald’s Restaurants in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Today there are no McDonalds restaurants in the Covelli portfolio. Sam Covelli, owner and CEO of Covelli Enterprises, saw a change in consumer trends and opened his first Panera Bread location in Boardman, OH in 1998 shortly after selling all of the company’s interest in McDonalds. After seeing great success, Covelli began opening more locations, and today the company has nearly 300 Panera Bread bakery-cafes across 8 states and is the brand’s largest franchisee.
While Panera Bread makes up the majority of the Covelli portfolio, the company also owns and operates O ’Charley’s Restaurants, Dairy Queens, Oath Pizza, and the most recent brand to join the Covelli family, Caribou Coffee. While the food offerings at the restaurants in the Covelli portfolio are all different, the basic operating premise at all of them is the same: treat customers and employees with total dignity and respect. Sam Covelli said he still calls on what he learned back in the early days of working as a restaurant crew member. “I learned that we as the restaurant owners have to remember that employees and customers have choices. We always must be grateful that they’ve chosen us.” For Sam, nothing matters more than seeing his customers and employees happy.
Covelli Enterprises is still headquartered in Warren, OH today. The company is one of the largest restaurant franchisees in the country and has an unwavering commitment to give back to the communities it serves.