Mr. Gatti's Pizza facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1964 in Stephenville, Texas, USA |
| Founder | James Eure |
| Headquarters | Fort Worth, Texas, USA |
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Number of locations
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120 (Open and in development) |
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Areas served
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Southern United States |
| Products | Pizza Delivery, Salad bar, Pizza Buffet, Pizza Pickup, Family Entertainment |
| Owner | Sovrano LLC |
Mr. Gatti's Pizza is a well-known pizza restaurant chain. You can find its locations mostly in the Southern and Southeastern parts of the United States. The company is famous for its all-you-can-eat pizza buffets. Its main offices are located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Contents
The Story of Mr. Gatti's Pizza
How Mr. Gatti's Began
In 1964, a man named James R. Eure opened a restaurant. He was a retired Air Force officer. His first restaurant was in his hometown of Stephenville, Texas. It served both pizza and hamburgers.
Later, James and his wife moved to Austin, Texas. In 1969, he opened a new pizza place there. He called it "The Pizza Place." To make his restaurant stand out, he held a contest to find a new name. His wife's maiden name was Gatti. This name won the contest! So, "The Pizza Place" became "Mr. Gatti's Pizza."
Growing the Pizza Chain
In 1974, James Eure sold most of his 18 Mr. Gatti's restaurants. He sold them to a group of investors. But he kept a few of the restaurants for himself. The new owners worked with James to help the company grow. They opened more locations in Texas and other states. Over the years, the company has changed owners a few times.
Adding Fun and Games
By the 1980s, Mr. Gatti's started to look more modern. Many restaurants added a game room for kids and families. They also added a buffet bar where people could serve themselves.
In the 1990s, the game rooms became even bigger. This new concept was called "GattiLand." These locations added more arcade games and even bumper cars! You could often see a bright orange entrance to the game room. It would say "Welcome to GattiLand - Family Fun & Games." Some places with this fun design were in Louisville, Kentucky, Abilene, Texas, and Round Rock, Texas.
Introducing GattiTown
In 1997, Mr. Gatti's created an even bigger idea called "GattiTown." The very first GattiTown opened in Austin, Texas. These restaurants were designed to look like a small town's main street. They had a large buffet and many different dining areas. There were also party rooms for celebrations. A big "Midway" game room was a main feature. It had lots of arcade games and even a large carousel!
Some Mr. Gatti's locations today are still called GattiTown. These are huge family entertainment centers. They have a lot of space for games and attractions.
In 2007, the company changed its name to just "Gatti's Pizza." This was to keep up with new trends. But in 2016, they changed it back to "Mr. Gatti's Pizza." This was because more people searched for the original name online.
Big New Locations
In 2011, the company announced plans for super-sized Gatti's restaurants. These new places were based on the GattiTown idea. They were very large, sometimes as big as 60,000 square feet! These huge locations often included bumper cars, go-karts, miniature golf, and even mini-bowling. Some of these big locations opened in places like Clearwater, Florida and El Paso, Texas.
In 2019, the company faced some financial challenges. However, many Mr. Gatti's locations continued to operate.
See also
- List of pizza chains of the United States
- List of buffet restaurants
Images for kids
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A Mr. Gatti's Pizza restaurant located in Portsmouth, Ohio.
