Imo's Pizza is a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 chain of pizza

Pizza

Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...

 restaurants based in the greater St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 area. It is headquartered in unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 St. Louis County

St. Louis County, Missouri

St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...

.

The chain is known for its version of St. Louis-style pizza

St. Louis-style pizza

St. Louis-style pizza is a distinct style of pizza popular in St. Louis, Missouri, and surrounding areas. The definitive characteristics of St. Louis-style pizza are a super-thin yeast-less crust, the common use of Provel processed cheese, and pizzas cut into squares or rectangles instead of large...

, which is common in the area. The restaurants also sell an assortment of salads, appetizers, and desserts. The chain joined in on the trend of selling desserts that can be made in a pizza oven. Their new menu offering is called Cinnimos, a type of cinnamon bread sticks. While mostly found in the St. Louis area, the franchise

Franchising

Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....

d pizzerias are also found scattered throughout select locations in the Midwest.

There are currently over 90 locations in Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 and Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

.

In 2004, Imo's was ranked the 26th largest pizza chain in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

; it tallied sales of $72.5 million. Cecil Whittaker's Pizza and Elicia's Pizza are two local competing chains.

History

Ed and Margie Imo opened their first pizza parlor in 1964 at Thurman and Shaw Avenues in St. Louis. It was open evenings only, offering pick-up and delivery. Ed continued to work as a tile setter, slicing squares of linoleum by day and pizza by night. Their first kitchen consisted of a used oven, two refrigerators and a stove they purchased for $75.

With no experience in retail and little experience in cooking, the Imos fueled their vision with stamina and determination. They hired a pizza chef to prepare the South St. Louis-style pizza they loved, using Provel® cheese instead of mozzarella on that famous thin crust. Marge answered the phone and prepped the salads, and the pair used an old tackle box as their first cash register.

People all around the neighborhood were simply amazed that they could have dinner delivered right to their door, and the idea didn’t take long to catch on. Nine months after opening the first store, they opened another, and another…and then another. By 1985 they had 30 stores and opened up the business to franchisers.

Imo’s Pizza now has more than 90 stores, most located in the greater St. Louis area, with a dozen other stores throughout Missouri, including Springfield and Kansas City.