While some pizza chains are closing underperforming restaurants, Donatos Pizza is preparing a three-store expansion in Texas. Its first Houston-area restaurant has a specific address and a planned November 14, 2026, opening date.
The Ohio-based chain plans to open at 15906 Woodland Hills Drive, Suite 200, in Humble, near Atascocita and Lake Houston. Franchise owner Tyler Wheatley has signed a three-restaurant development agreement for Northeast Houston, with two additional locations planned for the coming years.
The first Houston-area restaurant is planned for Humble
In an October 27 announcement, Donatos named November 14 as the opening target and said it plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the local chamber of commerce. This would be its first restaurant in the Houston market, although the chain already operates elsewhere in Texas.
There is physical progress behind the opening plan. A Texas construction filing describes an approximately 1,730-square-foot restaurant buildout at the Woodland Hills Drive address, including new kitchen equipment, lighting, plumbing and electrical work. Local restaurant publication What Now Houston reported in October that construction was underway.
The location is in a commercial corridor serving Humble, Atascocita and communities around Lake Houston. For customers nearby, November 14 is the date to watch. The company has announced a target opening, not an operating restaurant.
Where will the other two Texas locations go?
Wheatley’s agreement covers three restaurants in total. After the Humble debut, he intends to develop two additional stores in Northeast Houston over the coming years. Donatos has not identified addresses, individual opening dates or construction plans for those other two restaurants.
The company is pursuing a broader Texas expansion, with existing restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and other Houston-area franchise development activity. Wheatley’s three-store agreement is one part of that effort, focused on bringing the chain to communities northeast of Houston.
What is Donatos Pizza known for?
Donatos was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1963 by Jim Grote. It specializes in thin-crust pizzas with toppings spread all the way to the edge, rather than leaving a wide bare rim. Its Classic Pepperoni pie comes with more than 100 pieces of pepperoni, according to Wheatley.
Other menu choices include Hot Honey Pepperoni, The Works, wings, subs, calzones, salads and desserts. Wheatley told What Now Houston that Hot Honey Pepperoni is a personal favorite, with smoked provolone, fresh mozzarella and Mike’s Hot Honey. Menu availability at the new Humble restaurant will become clearer closer to its debut.
Donatos also serves its pizza at select Red Robin restaurants. In October, the company said it and its franchise partners operated more than 177 standalone stores, plus more than 250 nontraditional locations. That footprint is separate from the three new Northeast Houston restaurants in Wheatley’s development agreement.
Who is bringing Donatos to Houston?
Wheatley is a Houston native and University of Houston graduate who spent more than two decades in technology leadership. Earlier in his career, he worked as a waiter and bartender and helped open restaurants. He has described the Donatos venture as a family business he hopes to grow over time.
Donatos president and CEO Kevin King welcomed Wheatley as a franchise partner in the October 27 announcement. Wheatley’s first store has an address and a target date; the two additional locations remain plans rather than restaurants that customers can visit.
For Houston-area pizza fans, the first milestone is November 14 at 15906 Woodland Hills Drive in Humble. Two more Northeast Houston locations are planned, with their sites and opening dates still to be announced.
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