70 Years of Service and Success
What began as a small family business has become THE signature name in pizza and Italian food. Join us in celebrating an inspiring legacy of quality, passion, and culinary excellence.
Roma® Through the Decades
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1955
Roma is the dream of Louis G. Piancone, a young Italian immigrant from Corato, Bari, who carries a passion for his homeland’s culinary richness and a vision to share it with the world. In 1955, Piancone pursues his American dream, opening an authentic Italian delicatessen in Bradley Beach, N.J. to serve the local community.
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1964
Piancone identifies a need among the neighborhood restaurants, who often run short on supplies and are without weekend distributors. With a small panel truck, he begins delivering goods to restaurants from his deli and ultimately registers the name Roma Food with the state of New Jersey.
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1978
Having experienced tremendous growth out of the South Plainfield facility in Jersey, Roma is ready to expand. The family of brands is established, starting with the eponymous Piancone® name and later Luigi®, and the first large-scale distribution center opens in Jacksonville, Fla.
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1989
Roma continues to grow, expanding out west to Dallas in the early 80s and becoming an internationally recognized phenomenon. In 1989, outside of Tallahassee, Fla., Roma makes history by creating “The World’s Largest Pizza” and sets a Guinness World Record.
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1991
The previous year, Mr. P is the recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Alliance Award for Distinguished Corporate Leadership through Arts in Education. And in ’91, Roma sets its second “World’s Largest Pizza” record, topping the mark recently set in Singapore. Later, Roma expands further west to California, and the Assoluti!® brand is added to the Roma family.
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2005
Roma celebrates its 50th anniversary with a blowout event at the original Piscataway, N.J. headquarters. But the even bigger news is still to come — Roma merges with Vistar, doubling its distribution capabilities from eight to a whopping 16 operating companies across the country.
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2008
Roma becomes the crown jewel of Performance Foodservice, headquartered in Richmond, Va., which launches Roma products nationwide, fulfilling Mr. P’s dream of becoming the dominant name in America’s pizza and Italian foodservice industry.
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2025
Roma turns 70, as it plays a central role in Performance Food Group’s rise to #84 on the Fortune 500 list. Today, pizza makers from coast-to-coast work with quality products under the Roma family of brands, including Roma, Piancone, Luigi, Assoluti!, and Piancone Epicureo, among others.
