Is Chicho Bella Pizzeria & Subs Woke?

Company Overview

Chicho Bella Pizzeria & Subs is a small, family-owned pizzeria located at 2342 Lancaster Pike in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2018 by owner Frank Coccia, the restaurant set out with a straightforward mission: serve great-tasting pizza and honest comfort food to the Reading community at prices working families can afford. What began as a modest neighborhood shop quickly became a local favorite, earning a reputation as one of Berks County's go-to spots for handcrafted pies, cheesesteaks, wings, stromboli, salads, and subs.

The operation is exactly what its name and storefront suggest, a hometown pizzeria. There is no corporate parent, no private equity backer, and no national franchise system shaping the menu or messaging. Decisions are made by the family running the kitchen, and the customer base is the surrounding community rather than a far-off boardroom. For consumers looking for an alternative to large chain restaurants that have leaned into political and cultural messaging, Chicho Bella represents the kind of straightforward, food-first small business that still defines Main Street America.

What They Serve

• Specialty and traditional pizzas
• Cheesesteaks and hot subs
• Wings, stromboli, and calzones
• Salads and classic sides

Hours and Service

The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with Sunday hours running noon to 8:00 p.m., and is closed on Mondays. Delivery is offered locally, and online ordering is available through the restaurant's website and a Toast ordering integration.

ESG & Sustainability

Chicho Bella does not publish an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) report, a sustainability framework, a carbon-reduction pledge, or any of the formal disclosures associated with publicly traded corporations. This is entirely normal and expected for an independent neighborhood pizzeria. ESG reporting is a corporate-finance phenomenon driven by institutional investors and large multinational firms; it does not apply to single-location, family-owned restaurants, and there is no evidence Chicho Bella has voluntarily adopted that framework.

For consumers concerned about politicized capital allocation through ESG scoring, that absence is a feature, not a flaw. The business simply runs the way small restaurants have always run, sourcing ingredients, paying staff, and serving customers without channeling profits through activist investment screens or signaling around climate politics. Any ordinary stewardship the shop practices, such as managing food waste, recycling boxes, or keeping the dining area clean, appears to be handled at the operational level rather than marketed as a values statement.

DEI Programs

There is no public record of Chicho Bella operating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program, maintaining a DEI officer, publishing demographic workforce data, or applying identity-based hiring quotas. The restaurant has not signed onto initiatives such as the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, and it does not appear in any corporate equality benchmarking surveys.

As a small-team pizzeria, hiring is handled the traditional way: based on whether an applicant can do the job, show up on time, and treat customers well. For families that want their dining dollars to go to a business that hires on merit and character rather than on ideological scorecards, Chicho Bella fits that profile by default. Nothing in the restaurant's public communications, social media presence, or owner's statements suggests otherwise.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy

Chicho Bella has no documented involvement in LGBTQ+ corporate advocacy. The pizzeria is not rated on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, has not been identified as a sponsor of Pride parades or related events, and does not run themed promotions or limited-edition products tied to advocacy campaigns. Its branding stays focused on food, family, and community, the kinds of things a neighborhood restaurant has always emphasized.

For consumers who have grown weary of chain restaurants pushing activist messaging through their menus, packaging, and storefronts, Chicho Bella's approach is refreshingly traditional. The restaurant treats every customer who walks through the door the same way, with hospitality and a hot meal, without turning the dining room into a venue for political signaling.

Political Activity

There is no public evidence that Chicho Bella, owner Frank Coccia, or the business itself makes meaningful political contributions, operates a political action committee, or takes public positions on contested cultural and policy debates. Federal Election Commission databases track corporate and individual giving above modest thresholds, and a small single-location pizzeria is not the kind of entity that typically appears in those records, nor does the restaurant's marketing reference partisan causes.

The owner has, by all available accounts, kept the focus on running the restaurant. There are no boycotts, controversies, or activist campaigns associated with Chicho Bella, and no statements from ownership weighing in on national political flashpoints. For customers who simply want to grab a pizza without underwriting a political agenda, the restaurant offers a clean conscience purchase.

Consumer Impact

For values-aligned conservative consumers, Chicho Bella represents a quietly excellent local alternative to the big national chains that have spent the last several years entangling themselves in cultural disputes. Every dollar spent at the Lancaster Pike location stays close to home: it pays a local owner, employs neighbors, supports area suppliers, and helps fund the school fundraisers, youth sports teams, and charitable events the shop has historically sponsored across Berks County.

Why It Earned a Not-Woke Score

• Independent, family-owned, with no corporate parent steering the messaging
• No ESG reporting, DEI program, or HRC Corporate Equality Index involvement
• No documented LGBTQ+ advocacy sponsorships or Pride campaigns
• No record of partisan political contributions or activist statements
• Marketing centered on food quality, family, and community service

How to Support

• Dine in or order delivery from the Reading, PA location
• Order online through the restaurant's website or Toast
• Recommend the shop to neighbors looking for a chain alternative
• Tip generously and leave honest, supportive reviews

Chicho Bella is exactly the kind of small business the Buy Woke Free community exists to highlight: a hardworking, food-first, family-owned shop that lets customers enjoy a slice without a side of corporate activism. With a Woke Score of 3.00, it earns a confident not-woke designation, and conservative families in the Reading area can patronize it knowing their money is funding good pizza and a good neighbor, nothing more, nothing less.