Beloved pizza chain turns America’s 250th birthday into summer-long celebration

Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream is turning America’s 250th birthday into a summer-long celebration.

The Davenport, Iowa-based restaurant chain — which has three company-owned restaurants, 35 domestic franchised locations and nine international locations in Egypt — is rolling out patriotic menu items, family block parties and sweepstakes tied to the nation’s semiquincentennial.

Tom Sacco, Happy Joe’s CEO, president and "chief happiness officer," said the campaign fits the brand’s roots.

"Who's better in this country to throw a birthday party for just regular old American folks than Happy Joe's?" Sacco told FOX Business. "Because that's who we are."

From May 15 through Aug. 15, guests who buy a specialty pizza and a Mountain Dew at participating locations can enter the "Freedom Flyaway Sweepstakes" for a chance to win one of three $3,000 trips to Washington, D.C. 

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The sweepstakes was initially solely tied to a Washington, D.C., trip, but Sacco said winners can also take the cash and use it however it best helps their families.

"If celebrating to them is giving… them freedom financially to not be burdened by some of the expensive things that have happened in the last four or five years … If that's what makes you happy, because mom doesn't have to stress about how to pay for daycare during the summer or something like that, then that's a huge win," Sacco said.

The promotion also includes weekly Mountain Dew prize packs with pickleball paddles, lawn chairs, blankets, Happy Joe’s apparel and gift cards.

Happy Joe’s is also hosting AMERICA250 Block Party events on June 29 from 4 to 8 p.m. with games, trivia, music, giveaways and free slices of its red, white and blue birthday cake pizza.

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Sacco said some locations will have activities such as bounce houses, face painting, balloon makers and patriotic trivia tied to both U.S. history and Happy Joe’s history.

"We're going to just do some fun stuff like that," Sacco said. "… We can play the game and make it patriotic, but make it tied to Happy Joe's kind of stuff."

The limited-time menu includes a BBQ Brisket Pizza with Texas-smoked brisket, pickles, onions and barbecue sauce, a BBQ Chicken Pizza and an AMERICA250 Birthday Cake topped with red, white and blue frosting and sprinkles.

Sacco said Happy Joe’s is leaning into what it has long been known for: birthdays, families and memorable dining experiences.

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"We don't compete on price. We don't compete on discounting. We compete on experience," Sacco said. "Pizza gets you in the door. When you leave, we’ve created a memory. And that's how we go about the business."

He added that the campaign gives the brand a chance to celebrate the country’s milestone birthday with families across its markets.

"The 250, for me, is like the biggest national celebration I can ever be a part in," Sacco said. "I have the opportunity, because of Happy Joe’s, to share it with hundreds of thousands of our guests and their families around the country."