Connecticut-born Colony Grill opens its 10th restaurant on November 16 in Glastonbury, marking the brand's sixth location in its home state and its first footprint in Hartford County. The new unit sits at 130 Glastonbury Boulevard inside The Shops at Somerset Square.
The opening extends a growth arc for the 90-year-old bar-pie concept, which already operates across Connecticut, New York, Virginia, and Florida. Founded in Stamford in 1935, Colony Grill built its identity around a 12-inch thin-crust format and a signature Hot Oil topping—a simple, differentiated menu that has fueled multi-state expansion while keeping ticket complexity low, a model that resonates with operators watching full-service restaurant trends.
The Footprint
The Glastonbury restaurant seats more than 175 guests indoors, adds a full bar with 12 draft beer lines, multiple televisions, and a seasonal patio. The menu centers on Colony Grill's signature thin-crust pizzas—anchored by the Famous Hot Oil Pizza—along with salads, cocktails, and beverages. The format mirrors Colony's established locations and keeps labor and prep complexity manageable, a priority for multi-unit operators navigating today's cost environment.
Community Before the Doors Open
What distinguishes the Glastonbury launch is how early Colony Grill embedded itself locally. The brand partnered with Glastonbury Youth and High School Football & Cheer programs during the fall season—months before the restaurant opened—sponsoring players and deploying a pizza truck to serve at home games. Chip Collins, President of Glastonbury Youth Football & Cheer, noted that Colony Grill "reached out to us to establish a relationship" well ahead of the opening date, calling the brand's entry into the market a welcome one.
Inside the restaurant, a Wall of Heroes display honors local veterans, active-duty military, police officers, and firefighters—a feature Colony Grill replicates across all its locations. Glastonbury residents can submit photos of honorees through the brand's website. The dual strategy of youth-sports sponsorship and first-responder recognition positions Colony Grill as a community anchor rather than just a new dining option, a playbook increasingly used by regional chains competing against national pizza and casual-dining brands.
Operator Takeaway
"For more than 90 years, Colony Grill has been a place where friends, families, and neighbors come together over thin-crust pizza and cold drinks," said Ken Martin, Co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of Colony Grill. "We're excited to carry that tradition into Glastonbury and become part of this community for generations to come."
The timing—opening weeks before the holiday season—is deliberate. General Manager Brian Cunningham noted that the pre-holiday window, "when people are making time to gather with friends and family," gives new locations the opportunity to quickly become part of seasonal traditions. For multi-unit restaurant groups, this calendar strategy can accelerate community adoption and smooth the typically volatile first-month revenue curve.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
