Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks has grown from a single pizza concept into a portfolio of restaurant brands across Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, with a strategy centered on meeting guests wherever they choose to dine.
Co-founder and president Shaz Khan helps lead the company’s expanding group of concepts. A 2026 Food On Demand Outstanding Operator, the business will soon have 16 locations across multiple brands. The company’s foundation is rooted in family recipes, with Khan’s longtime business partner and co-founder Antonio Gambino, drawing on a pizza-making legacy that traces back generations to Palermo, Sicily.
The portfolio includes Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks, a brick-oven pizza and cheesesteak concept, and Frank & Andrea, a New York-style pizza and cheesesteak concept.
The team recently launched SliceCraft, a Roman and focaccia-style pizza restaurant developed with Adam Bresina, founder of Egg on a Roll, a North Loop breakfast hub in Minneapolis.
Another concept, Gambino’s Coal Fired Pizza, is planned for St. Paul. The full-service restaurant will focus on coal-fired pizza alongside small plates and appetizers.
Off-prem plays a central role. Guests can dine in, order takeout in-store, place digital pickup orders or use third-party delivery platforms. Catering is available for larger events.
“We try to build the brand to meet guests where they need to be met—not where we want them to show up,” Khan said.
Shaz Khan, president and co-founder Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks.
About 60 percent of sales come from dine-in and walk-in takeout across the brands. About 20 percent of orders come through first-party digital channels, including online ordering and the mobile app, with another 20 percent through third-party delivery.
Technology helps manage that mix. The company relies on Toast for point-of-sale and digital ordering infrastructure across its locations.
Khan serves on Toast’s customer advisory board, gaining insight into product development while sharing feedback on how restaurant technology can better support operators.
“As a technologist and engineer, I’m interested in how systems work and how they can improve,” Khan said. “We invest early in technology and partner with companies that understand how we want to operate.”
Khan said they were among the first in the area to adopt third-party delivery.
“When it first came to market around 2017, we were one of the first restaurants in Minneapolis to try it,” Khan said. “Amazon Prime Now for restaurants was around, Uber Eats was big, Postmates and Caviar were operating. DoorDash wasn’t really in our market yet.”
Now, the restaurants primarily use DoorDash and Uber Eats.
“For us it’s all about partnership,” Khan said. “Many operators see third-party delivery as a necessary evil, but the more we advocate for ourselves and build strong relationships, the better positioned we are to serve customers wherever they want to order.”
Social media campaigns, neighborhood sponsorships and events help drive awareness, while a mobile pizza oven travels to events, weddings and parties. Unlike a traditional food truck, the open oven is visible while being transported, creating a recognizable moving advertisement.
“When people see the oven being pulled down the highway with the logo on it, it creates buzz,” Khan said. “It’s a unique way for us to show up.”
New menu items are tested through pilots, social media engagement and guest feedback before added to the permanent menu.
“We want guests to feel involved in the process,” Khan said.
Promotions like Tono Tuesdays, a buy-one-get-one offer on pizza and soda, help drive traffic and encourage repeat visits.
Khan plans to build a broader hospitality company that will support the group’s growing collection of brands. He values conversations that go beyond restaurant operations and focus on broader perspectives about leadership and life.
“I’m a very philosophical person, and I enjoy understanding why people are the way they are and how they approach life,” Khan said. “Those conversations help me grow as a person, and that ultimately helps me become a better leader for the organization.”
The Outstanding Operators Program highlights 20 innovative brands taking creative paths to success with all things off-premises. Each winner receives a $1,000 charitable donation to their organization of choice and will be recognized on-stage at the 2026 Food On Demand Conference. Register today!
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