Valentino's is a regional Italian restaurant chain based in Lincoln, Nebraska

Lincoln, Nebraska

The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....

. Valentino's was founded by Val and Zena Weiler in 1957. The restaurant was purchased by two Lincoln families in 1971 and began franchising

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....

 additional locations. The first carry-out store opened in 1990, and many of the full-scale restaurants converted to the “Grand Italian Buffet” concept in the early-2000s. In Lincoln, as well as other cities it is located in, Valentino's has won numerous city awards such as "Best Pizza", etc.

, Valentino's has 41 locations in Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, 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...

, South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

 and Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

.

Subsidiaries

Opened The Amazing Pizza Machine

The Amazing Pizza Machine

The Amazing Pizza Machine is a family entertainment center located in the Millard area of Omaha, Nebraska. According to Play Meter magazine, the Amazing Pizza Machine has an "array of games, rides, and attractions all under one roof are unparalleled in the region." The facility has received several...

in Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

 in 2006. The family buffet

Buffet

A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...

 and entertainment center

Family Entertainment Center

A family entertainment center , often abbreviated FEC in the entertainment industry, is a small amusement park marketed towards families with small children to teenagers, and often entirely indoors or associated with a larger operation such as a theme park...

 has been a huge success, attracting a variety of people, even from out of state. It is the Midwest's largest family entertainment center and in 2008 it was named a Nickelodeon Parent's Pick in three categories: Best Family-Friendly Restaurant, Best Indoor Playspace/Partyspace for Big Kids and Best Indoor Playspace/Partyspace for Teens. The entertainment center features arcade games, rides and other attractions—including a roller coaster, a race track, bumper cars, mini-golf and bowling. It has been named to the Best of Omaha list three years in a row. In 2007, it was recognized by the International Association of Amusement Parks

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

and Attractions for their Top Family Entertainment Centers of the World awards program.

Opened a pizza-by-the-slice business in 1982 and expanded that to 45 units before selling it in 1985.

External links

• Valentino's official website
• Amazing Pizza Machine official website