Chicago native brings restaurant chain to Springfield

Last edited 3:29 p.m., March 30, 2015

When Ben Biesenthal moved from his hometown of Chicago to attend the University of Arkansas, one key ingredient was missing: the food. Now, the former stockbroker-turned-president and founder of Rogers, Ark.-based Gusano’s Chicago-Style Pizzeria plans to open his eighth location in Springfield this week.

“This is kind of a family spot for me. My cousins went to school here at Missouri State, and my grandfather was born here,” Biesenthal said. “I’ve always loved Springfield. It’s a really nice market and a large market. We hope to have more than one store here.”

In 2004, Biesenthal and business partner Grub Christie opened their first location in Little Rock, Ark.

“I was really surprised there was not the food I was accustomed to eating,” he said. “I’ve been traveling down here for years and we always went to places that we didn’t have at home, so I decided that I wanted to open up some places. I’ve always loved pizza.”

Eleven years later, Biesenthal, Christie and Whole Hog Cafe co-owner Dave Warren are bringing Gusano’s to Springfield through their company, Catfish Pies Inc.

Located in Battlefield Market Place, 900 E. Battlefield Road, Ste. 176, the restaurant is scheduled to open April 1. Biesenthal has two additional restaurants slated to open by mid-May in Rogers, Ark., and Tyler, Texas.

The approximately 5,500-square-foot Springfield space, which formerly housed Bandana’s Bar-B-Q and The Filling Station, is leased for undisclosed terms from Battlefield Market Place LLC. Biesenthal estimated start-up costs at approximately $350,000.

Lunch items such as sandwiches, wraps and salads are priced under $10. Pizzas come in two different styles and seven sizes, ranging from the eight-inch “mini” traditional thin crust to a Chicago-style deep dish that feeds four and costs around $20.

“We pretty much make everything from scratch daily in terms of our dough and sauce,” said Biesenthal, noting ingredients are shipped directly from the Windy City.

The restaurant and sports bar will open at 11 a.m. daily. Biesenthal said the kitchen will remain open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, depending on the crowd.

“This is partially a sports bar, so if people are hanging out we’re not going to kick them out by any means,” he said.

The pizzeria has seating capacity for up to 200 customers inside and on the outdoor patio, Biesenthal said, noting he plans to hire around 50.[[In-content Ad]]