Hawk's Pizza Venture, Piccolo Buco, readies for expansion plans
Cooper's Hawk Expands with Piccolo Buco
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants, a popular American wine and dining establishment, is expanding its portfolio with the addition of Piccolo Buco, a renowned Italian pizzeria.
In 2020, Tim McEnery, the CEO and founder of Cooper's Hawk, visited Piccolo Buco in Rome and was immediately impressed by their Neapolitan-style pizza. He suggested bringing the concept to the United States, and a collaboration was born.
Luca Issa, the owner of Piccolo Buco, initially had reservations due to costs and infrastructure. However, after researching Cooper's Hawk and a handshake deal ten days later, Piccolo Buco was set to make its debut in the U.S. The first location opened in Oak Brook, Chicago in June 2021.
The strategy behind this expansion focuses on entering markets with an established Cooper’s Hawk wine club member base and filling geographic gaps between existing Cooper’s Hawk locations without cannibalizing sales. The upcoming Naperville location will include a small wine-tasting bar to host member events, integrating Piccolo Buco with Cooper’s Hawk’s existing customer experience.
The success of Piccolo Buco in Oak Brook has been incremental to the overall usage of Cooper’s Hawk, indicating that the strategy is working. Member visits to Piccolo have been similar to the ratio at Cooper's Hawk, with about 40% of Piccolo's customers being wine club members.
Cooper's Hawk believes that the success of Piccolo Buco can translate elsewhere. In fact, the company has signed leases for four more Piccolo Buco locations, with the second set to open in Naperville next month and a third scheduled for Tampa in October 2025. The new locations will be slightly more rustic than the Oak Brook flagship.
The Chicago location of Piccolo Buco offers a selection of Cooper’s Hawk’s signature wine and is more upscale than the Roman original. Wine club members can use benefits such as loyalty points and discounts at Piccolo Buco and can pick up their wine of the month there.
The Naperville Piccolo Buco outlet will also feature a small wine-tasting bar for events. A third Piccolo Buco is slated to open in Tampa in October. However, Cooper's Hawk is not growing Piccolo at the same pace as it is growing Cooper’s Hawk. The expansion is deliberately paced, with a long-term model supporting up to 100 Piccolo Buco locations in the United States.
Piccolo Buco's pizza, widely considered among the best in Italy, remains true to the original. The pizzas offer a thin crust with a fat, pillowy centre, a testament to the authentic Italian flavour that has made Piccolo Buco a success.
[1] Cooper's Hawk Press Release, [date], [link] [2] Piccolo Buco Press Release, [date], [link]
- The collaboration between Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants and Piccolo Buco is a significant move in the food-and-drink industry, merging American wine and dining with authentic Italian cuisine.
- The expansion strategy of Cooper's Hawk involves investing in real-estate markets with a strong presence of wine club members and a gap in its existing locations without causing sales cannibalization.
- Tim McEnery, the CEO and founder of Cooper's Hawk, saw potential in Piccolo Buco's Neapolitan-style pizza and envisioned the concept growing in the retail sector of the United States.
- Entrepreneurship in global-cuisines is on the rise, as demonstrated by the successful partnership between Cooper's Hawk and Piccolo Buco, with plans to open up to 100 Piccolo Buco locations in the near future.
- Piccolo Buco's promise of authentic Italian pizza, combined with Cooper's Hawk's wine offerings and customer experience, positions the fusion business as a player in the lifestyle sector, appealing to both food lovers and wine enthusiasts.
