FAMOUS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, REPUTATION, OPERATING SYSTEM,
MANAGEMENT TEAM, FANATICS, AND THE GINO'S GIANT!

Gino‘s was founded in 1957 by two former Baltimore Colt football players: Alan Ameche, Captain Gino Marchetti and their long time friend, Louis C. Fischer.

The First Gino's

The first Gino's drive-up opened in Baltimore, Maryland, and unit expansion came quickly as guests and fans wrapped around the building waiting to be served!

Several other restaurants were added in Maryland, and within a year Gino's Drive-ins expanded to nearby neighboring states in the mid-Atlantic corridor including New Jersey, Delaware and south-eastern Pennsylvania.

Gino‘s units were company-owned and operated and part of their growth strategy was to promote from within. As an example, Tom Romano joined the Company in the mid-sixties and among many others was one of the many manager-trainees who rose through the ranks to become a successful, skilled professional. At the time of the acquisition of Gino's by the Marriott Corp., Tom was Chief Operating Officer of the 500 plus unit chain which consisted of 20,000 employees and served nearly 12,000,000 guests.

Gino’s was considered one of the best employers in the business owing to its educational and promotional interest opportunities provided to its employees.

A Family Firm

Gino‘s was also distinguished for its philanthropic efforts aimed at young people, and it supported many educational, cultural, recreational and athletic projects in their respective communities. Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia was one of the first scholarship beneficiaries.

In 1965 Gino’s entered into a co-branding relationship with Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Gino’s was a pioneer in co-branding which KFC among others utilize today to market their brands.

Gino's Sets The Standard

In 1966 Gino’s continued to set the standard for others by adding the Gino Giant. The first triple decker burger ever to be sold in a fast food venue was the Gino Giant. It was not long thereafter that McDonald’s followed suit with their Big Mac.

Another successful Gino’s innovation in 1969 was the concept of inside seating which led the way for other fast food feeders to follow.

Gino’s dynamic, innovative, adaptive philosophy to meet consumer trends on a timely basis was a major component of its unprecedented success story, which continued to through the seventies and early eighties.

To support its growth Gino’s became a publicly held company having once traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As such, the company became a prime target for take-over, and in 1982 Marriott Corporation acquired Gino's to incorporate into their Roy Rogers brand expansion

Today, Gino's is fondly remembered by former staff and customers alike, as can be seen on the several Internet tribute sites, social networking alumni groups, and forums featuring positive customer memories.

For many, the wait for Gino's is over.