Simonte Leads Pizza Franchise’s Marketing Efforts, Leveraging More than 25 Years of Experience with Domino’s
Hungry Howie’s has named Jimmy Simonte executive vice president of marketing. Simonte drives growth for the pizza franchise utilizing his 25-plus years of experience with Domino’s where he led multiple teams in media and national marketing initiatives.
“Hungry Howie’s is a beloved Michigan-born brand with a loyal fan base and a clear point of differentiation in flavored crust, and unlike a lot of pizza brands, you never have to sacrifice flavor to choose us,” Simonte said. “Joining at this pivotal moment, I’m focused on partnering closely with our franchisees, strengthening our digital and data capabilities, and bringing what makes Hungry Howie’s special to more customers in more markets.”
He said flavor is an important aspect of the pizza franchise’s core identity. “It might sound hokey, but flavor presents itself in many ways. Yes, it’s the core of our menu and our branding, but it’s also in our teams and franchisees. I have a passion for food and hospitality, and pizza is a particularly fun category to be in. I am genuinely excited to continue to grow in this space.”
Simonte fell in love with the restaurant industry while waiting tables as a college student, and his passion for franchising soon followed. He also credited his two older brothers — “one subscribed to Sports Illustrated, the other to BusinessWeek” — for showing him that great stories are ultimately about overcoming adversity or driving innovation to compete for fans’ hearts and minds.
“Franchisors can serve themselves well by remembering that success will always rely on the consumer value equation, with very distinct and different numerators and denominators,” he said.
Steve Jackson, president and CEO of Hungry Howie’s, said Simonte’s leadership will help attract customers and investors alike to the brand. “Jimmy brings a powerful combination of category expertise, franchisee-first thinking and a deep understanding of how technology and marketing can work together to drive growth,” Jackson said.
About Hungry Howie’s
Founded in Michigan in 1973, Hungry Howie’s offers original round, deep-dish, thin-crust and gluten-free pizza options. The brand has expanded to more than 500 stores in 19 states across the country.
