 Gatti’s Pizza restaurants offer buffets that serve pizzas, fresh pastas, crisp salads and desserts. Last year was a year of transition for Gatti’s Pizza, formerly Mr. Gatti’s, and 2007 has been a year of execution and expansion for the company. “In the past 18 months, we have accomplished major strategic initiatives, which have positioned us for substantial long-term growth,” says Mike Mrlik, president and CEO. “We recognized the need for swift action on behalf of our suppliers, franchise partners and the customers we are privileged to serve day in and day out.”
All of those efforts appear to be paying off as Gatti’s Pizza continues to expand within its key market of the Southeast as well as in select target markets in the Southwest.
Pizza Transformation
Mrlik leads a senior management team of experienced industry professionals that came together in 2005 and 2006, and has executed a true corporate transformation. “All aspects of our business have seen improvements,” Mrlik says. “We have remodeled our corporate locations in Austin and the transformation is now continuing throughout the network.
“We have deployed a technology infrastructure that can scale with future growth including a new POS system, online ordering capabilities and consumer database management tools,” he adds.
“We have launched a new marketing platform for the brand: Gettin’ Together Over Gatti’s,” he continues.
The new marketing program reflects a long-standing corporate commitment to give back to the communities in which they operate.
“Gatti’s Pizza offers a venue for friends and families to come together,” says Ed Cohen, vice president of marketing.
“Our restaurants are gathering places and we quickly become part of the community. We feel a strong obligation to support those communities.”
In addition, the company upgraded its product offerings to reflect current consumer trends in the market.
The company plans to grow into a $300 million enterprise by focusing their core growth strategies on the Gatti’s Pizza buffet stores. These store types are not the largest in size, but have proven to be a substantial portfolio builder, the company says. Each location is smoke-free and is well suited for retail centers as well as freestanding locations.
“As we continue to deliver quality products and services for people to enjoy, the rest of the business takes care of itself,” Mrlik says.
Gatti’s Story
Gatti’s Pizza was founded as The Pizza Place by Col. James Eure in 1964. He moved the company to Austin, Texas, in 1969, and the company has been headquartered there since. Eure served in the Air Force and spent a great deal of time exploring European cuisine and fell in love with Italian pizza. The company is named after his wife’s maiden name, Gatti.
Today, the company operates 135 locations in nine states, primarily in the Southeast. These locations range from Gatti’s Pizza restaurants, GattiTown family entertainment centers and delivery/carryout-focused operations.
Gatti’s Pizza restaurants, which range from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, offer buffets that serve pizzas, fresh pastas, crisp salads and desserts. Larger locations can be more than 10,000 square feet and are equipped with game rooms and flat-screen TVs. Each facility operates with an efficient kitchen and some offer carryout and delivery services.
GattiTowns, which range from 18,000 to 40,000 square feet, feature rides for children, virtual reality games, video games and bumper cars – all in addition to fresh pizza buffets.
Authentic Product
The Gatti’s Pizza difference is its authentic recipe, which requires fresh homemade dough, smoked provolone cheese and special pizza sauce. Eure created the Gatti’s recipe after returning from Italy.
The company offers five specialty pizzas and 17 fresh toppings. As with most pizza establishments, pepperoni is the No. 1 topping, Mrlik says. To take pepperoni’s popularity up a notch, the company had a six-week special offer: Superoni™, a large pizza with 56 slices of pepperoni for $9.99. “We saw people come back consistently for six weeks straight,” he says.
However, there is more to the Gatti’s experience than the pizza, he notes. In any one of the 135 Gatti’s locations, the condiment of choice is the restaurant’s special homemade ranch dressing. “Ranch dressing is part of food culture in the South, it is only natural for an Austin, Texas, company to pair it with pizza,” Mrlik says. “Based on transactions, the No. 1 item, after pizza sales, is our ranch dressing. Gatti’s pizza and ranch dressing really go hand-in-hand.”
Gatti’s also offers four dessert pizzas: Chocolate Crème, Coconut Crème, Very Cherry and Dutch Apple Treat, as well as cinnamon sticks. In addition to the dessert pizzas, Gatti’s offers sides such as hot and spicy chicken wings, cheese sticks, pan sticks and salads. |
