News

Gatti's got its groove back

January 25, 2018

Leaders of a favorite pizza of baby boomers said that 2017 was a stellar year for restaging it as a favorite of boomers' kids and grandkids, too. Two years after purchasing the former Mr. Gatti's brand, the new ownership at Sovrano LLC rolled out two new prototypes: Mr. Gatti's, a family fast casual concept with a small arcade; and Gatti's Pizza, a buffet and family entertainment center.

To support the reenergized brand, the company opened up a record number of corporate-owned locations, including four in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area using the new prototypes. Likewise, a focus on franchise development has created a pipeline of new leads converting into new franchisees. 

Last year, Gatti's Pizza signed on its first franchise in seven years, which will open a new location in Killeen, Texas, early this year. The deal kicked off a national development campaign with a goal to grow to 300 locations by 2022.

The brand introduced new Menu additions, as well, including flatbread pizzas, new salads and desserts, and the addition in October of take-and-bake pizzas. At the end of the year chicken wings were on the menu as well. 

"In all my years in the restaurant business, I've never seen an organization accomplish all that we've achieved in 2017 alone across the Gatti's Pizza network," Gatti's President Michael Poates, said in a release recapping last year's achievements.  

Mr. Gatti's first opened its doors as The Pizza Place in Stephenville, Texas, in 1964 and experienced explosive growth in the 1970s, at one time featuring a special, 25,000-square-foot  entertainment center known as GattiTown. The brand now has 97 locations.