Thursday, October 29, 2026
From traversing Hempstead Turnpike during 1986 in white vans bearing the company’s logo to boost name recognition to launching a mobile app during the 2010s, Cinelli’s Pizzeria and Restaurant has adapted to the times to serve Franklin Square and its surrounding communities.
Founded in 1986 by Joe Cinelli and his three brothers, the pizzeria and restaurant, today run by Joe’s son, Joey, has become a staple in the Franklin Square community.
Joey, 29, began working in the family business when he was 15, helping customers and answering phones. Once he graduated high school in 2011, his role at the restaurant took off.
“My husband took over the business and has been working hard to keep this family business thriving,” said Michelle Cinelli. She added that these aspects help “set this pizzeria/restaurant apart from others in town.”
Cinelli said becoming the head of the pizzeria and restaurant has been a “humbling experience.” Training new employees opened his eyes to the behind-the-scenes aspects of the business and revealed to him the level of teamwork the staff exhibits daily, he said.
“It’s a cliché,” he said, “but we’re like a family.”
During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cinelli’s was forced to close for two weeks, but the restaurant has recovered since. And during the 2008 economic recession, employees supported each other, he said.
Some employees, ranging from chefs to dishwashers, have worked at the business for 30 years, since Cinelli was a child, he said.
Since 1986, the restaurant has adapted technologically to serve the community as efficiently as possible.
During the late 1990s, the pizzeria installed ovens inside its delivery cars, a step not matched by Dominoes until 2017, Joey said. Additionally, the company introduced fuel efficient vehicles for deliveries in 2005.
More recently, the restaurant began offering online orders in 2012, relatively early for pizzeria restaurants across Long Island, and launched a mobile app that allows customers to order online and track deliveries as it is being delivered to their door.
Since the pandemic started and until today, these advances include requiring customers to order online before picking up their food to keep customers and employees safe.
But the pandemic did not stop Cinelli’s from serving the community.
During the height of the pandemic, the restaurant donated food to the City MD in Franklin Square, the 5th precinct of the Nassau County Police Department, and other local hospitals.
Joey said the goal of the pizzeria and restaurant since 1986 has been to serve local people. We’re local people… we do our part,” he said.
“We are and continue to be grateful for the opportunity to prepare fresh, great tasting food for families in our community… especially now,” a statement on the restaurant’s website reads.
