Decades later, Grimaldi decided to go into business for himself and originally planned to own his own restaurant in Manhattan.

However, Grimaldi believed coal-fired brick ovens, which were increasingly rare in Manhattan, produced the best pizza.

Ciolli and Greenwald opened a new outlet in Tempe, Arizona, then moved headquarters to Scottsdale.

[17] In 2003, wait-times at the original Brooklyn restaurant, which didn't take reservations, could be up to an hour for a table.

[20] In 2010, after the 2009 announcement that a possible Grimaldi's in the Financial District had been dormant for a year and might be evicted, the store signed on to open a new 24-hour branch in the Limelight Marketplace in Manhattan.

[24] In 2011, the building's owner declined to renew Ciolli's lease in Brooklyn, so he renovated an abandoned bank next door and moved the restaurant over:[2] the landlord attempted to evict the original location for falling behind on rent and taxes, but a judge ordered the landlord to keep the location open until the lease expired on November 30, 2011.

[2] Grimaldi's expanded into Southern California in early 2013, in a location in El Segundo with 280 seats.

[26] In February 2018, a Grimaldi's pizzeria closed in Colorado due to tax debt[29] and the Coloradoan reported that Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria at Foothills shopping center had had its property seized by the county government, after it had closed the month prior.

[30] Grimaldi's Pizzeria started a national domestic franchise program in April 2019.

[31] In May 2020, Entrepreneur reported that Grimaldi's had pivoted entirely to a carry-out and delivery service model in response to the pandemic.

[9] In November 2020, the Grimaldi’s Pizzeria To-Go concept debuted in Scottsdale, Arizona, in conjunction with Kitchen United.

[32] Again focusing on franchising deals,[31] in 2021, it was announced that Grimaldi's was partnering with Power Brands Hospitality Group and opening a new location in Huntsville, Alabama, their first in the state.

[35] As of 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were active locations in Meridian, Idaho, as well as Sparks, Nevada, and others in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.

[17] Restaurants feature New York Italian decoration, with a coal-brick oven displayed centrally so patrons can see pizza being cooked through a glass partition.

"[17] During the pandemic in 2020, the company ceased in-restaurant dining in its over 40 locations, instead delivering via DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub, and creating separate carry-out areas to allow for social distancing.

There is also a 12" cauliflower pizza, starters and appetizers, wine and drinks, and the company's own vintage of Italian pinot grigio.

[7] The Las Vegas Sun described it as having a "crispy, chewy crust dotted with homemade pesto, roasted red peppers and the best fresh mozzarella in town... other gourmet toppings include kalamata olives, Italian sausage, ricotta cheese and artichoke hearts.

"[38] Writes The Washington Post, the restaurant in 2003 "regularly wins best-pizza-in-New York surveys.

Pizza, in fact, is all it serves, except for an antipasto for $10 (mozzarella, salami, roasted peppers and olives) and a few excellent desserts.