New Pizza Bakery, Cugino Forno, to Open at Former Tanner’s Big Orange Site in Greenville

An upcoming pizza bakery, Cugino Forno, is set to open at the former site of Tanner’s Big Orange in Greenville, South Carolina. The new restaurant, located at 322 S. Pleasantburg Drive, is expected to open in February 2025. Cugino Forno was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina in 2017 by cousins with culinary experience in Naples, Italy.

After receiving numerous requests from visitors to their North Carolina locations, the three cousins decided to expand to Greenville. Greenville will be Cugino Forno’s seventh location, joining five in North Carolina and one in Maryland.

Cugino Forno considers itself a “pizza bakery” and plans to offer a simple menu of around 10 different Neapolitan-style pizzas. The pizzas will be made with authentic ingredients like fresh mozzarella and tomatoes imported from Italy, along with avoiding preservatives in nearly 80% of their products.

The restaurant’s open floor and kitchen design will allow guests to watch the chefs prepare the pizzas in a wood-fired pizza oven that reaches temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees. The owners also plan to upgrade the dining space to mimic an authentic Naples experience.

In transforming the space, Cugino Forno will reupholster the remaining patio section with upgraded seating and work with city architects to preserve the original character of the property as much as possible. The iconic “Tanner’s Big Orange” sign on Pleasantburg Drive will eventually be replaced with a new sign at a lower height.

For more information about Cugino Forno, visit their website.