YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Fort Worth, Texas-based restaurant chain Mr Gatti's Pizza is working to open eateries in the Ozarks.
The local restaurants are part of the company's plans to add 17 franchised units in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma over the next six years, according to a news release.
The company's website lists a store each "coming soon" to Springfield and Branson, with locations to be determined.
Brent Swadley, founder and president of Swadley’s Bar-B-Q in Oklahoma, is the franchisee behind the plans. Franchisee fees range $25,000 to $50,000, and total investment per store is projected at up to $1.5 million, according to the company's website.
“I grew up with Mr Gatti’s, and it’s an honor to now join the MGP family,” Swadley said in the release. “Mr Gatti’s has an incredible leadership team dedicated to restoring and growing the brand with a continued focus on using high-quality ingredients and providing exceptional service in a food-first, family-centric atmosphere.”
Mr. Gatti's used to operate in Springfield on East Battlefield Road, according to Springfield Business Journal archives from 1999.
In 2003, a lawsuit filed by Mr Gatti's Pizza against Incredible Pizza founder Rick Barsness was settled in the Texas company's favor, according to past reporting. The suit alleged Barsness used proprietary information gained as a Mr Gatti’s franchisee to start Incredible Pizza.
Mr Gatti's currently has around 70 locations in Texas and the southeast United States, according to its website.
The company's website lists a menu with pizzas such as The Gatti's Deluxe with provolone cheese, pepperoni, sausage and other items, The Veggie Sampler and The Meat Market. Menu items also include salads, pasta, wings and desserts.
Missouri State University’s science building, built in 1971 and formerly called Temple Hall, is being reconstructed and updated.
This would be a return to the Ozarks for Mr. Gatti's.
One of the Mr. Gatti's restaurants was on East Sunshine, near Ingram Mill Road. It was the place to go after your kids' soccer game, because the staff would film the game, and then show it on the big screen, which was a novelty at the time.
Also, during a time when Sunday retail liquor sales were banned in Springfield, Mr. Gatti's had a restaurant liquor license, and sold liquor by the bottle out the back drive-up window.