In 1960 Kenney Grant decided that he wanted to open a pizza place.  At that time, there was only one in Huntington, West Virginia, and he felt that the need was there for another.  He boarded a Greyhound bus which took him to Cincinnati and another step closer to realizing his dream.  In Norwood, Ohio, Kenney made an offer to the owner and operator of “Zino’s” Pizza.  Kenney agreed to work for two weeks without benefit of pay.   In addition to Kenney’s hours of free labor, he would pay $200 for the purchase of recipes from the owner.  This apprenticeship was a vital step in attaining the high quality of service and the pizzariffic taste now associated with Gino’s today.

Upon his return to Huntington, Kenney gave considerable thought in choosing a name for his business; in the end he dropped the “Z” in Zino’s and replaced it with a “G” from his last name, and Gino’s was born.

On April 1, 1961, the first Gino’s Pizza opened on 29^th Street in Huntington.  It was a success.  To expand the menu, in 1963 Kenney learned how to make Italian dishes from an Italian restaurant in Daytona Beach, Florida.  With the success of this initial venture, Kenney began to open new locations in and around the Huntington area.  There are currently eleven stores in the Huntington vicinity which includes Barboursville, Lavalette, Milton, The Pub, 10^th Street, Express Route 60, Walnut Hills, Wayne, 14^th Street West, Route 2 Lesage and Proctorville, Ohio. There are 64 stores throughou West Virginia.

His love of travel has taken him to Italy several times, while there he fell in love with Italian Ice Cream called Gelato.  He knew that he wanted to share this wonderful taste with all of Huntington.  In August 2001, Gino’s Pizza started making Gelato.  All of the equipment and ingredients were shipped from Italy and the great flavors of Italian Ice Cream were brought to the people of Huntington.  There isn’t a tourist that travels through Italy and is not amazed by the magnificent wonder known as Gelato.

Gino’s Pizza is the official pizza of Marshall University and is served at all home football and basketball games.  Gino’s Pizza is also served at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena and the Veterans Memorial Field House.