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Giordano's first Ohio restaurant won't be in Cincinnati

Site near Columbus close to a deal
Posted at 5:51 PM, Oct 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-12 11:50:06-04

CINCINNATI -- Bad news, local deep-dish lovers.

The first Ohio Giordano's restaurant will probably land in Columbus.

A real-estate broker from Ohio's capital city confirmed that he is close to lining up a site for the Chicago-based pizza chain near the Polaris mall.

"I expect it to happen," said Tom Cady, a retail broker for Timberline Development.

Cady is working on a deal to put Giordano’s in a former Buffalo Wild Wings store at 2137 Polaris Parkway by the first quarter of next year.

RELATED: How much pizza is too much pizza?

Why Central (before Southwest) Ohio?

"Columbus was a hot spot for Googling Chicago style deep-dish pizza," Cady said. “Their anticipation is to do several more in Columbus."

WCPO readers have demonstrated a keen interest in a Giordano’s invasion of Cincinnati. But 16 months after the Chicago-based pizza chain confirmed it’s looking for Cincinnati-area stores, no deal has been struck.

“We are still actively looking," said David Sheehy, an Anchor Associates broker who represents Giordano’s. “They want a store here. They just want to land in the right spot."

Pizza purveyors are doing their best to fill the Giordano’s void, with a half-dozen new pie concepts expanding in Cincinnati. Many of them are California-style pizza chains that feature brick- or stone-fired ovens.