Rosati's Pizza is the second largest local chain of restaurants in the Chicago metropolitan area, (behind only Portillo's), with nearly 150 locations nationwide. The chain centers its business around the thin-crust variety of Chicago-style pizza

Chicago-style pizza

Chicago-style pizza is a deep-dish pizza style developed in Chicago. Chicago-style pizza has a buttery crust up to three inches tall at the edge, slightly higher than the large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce, acting as a large bowl. The term also refers to "stuffed" pizza, another...

. Rosati's is a franchise

Franchising

Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....

, with the largest franchisee being Rosati’s Franchise & Development, LLC., which formed in 1993 and has 27 stores in Illinois. The franchise has also branched out to ten other states,, including 36 locations in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 and nine in Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 and also including southern Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, northwestern Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 and North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

.

History

Rosati's Pizza was founded by Sam Rosati, the son of Ferdinand Rosati, an Italian immigrant, who had been in the restaurant business since 1898 in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Sam opened his first Italian restaurant in 1927 with pizza as an appetizer. The first official Rosati's Pizza locations opened in 1964, after Sam's children took over the family business and moved the operations to the Chicago suburbs. Ultimately, the family franchised the company in the late 1970s. The corporate slogan is "Five generations of great taste!"

Menu

The chain specializes in Chicago-style thin crust and Double-dough crust, and also offers traditional Chicago deep dish, but also offers other Italian dishes. Most of the menu is made from scratch. Rosati's own small sausage plant supplies Chicago-area units, and outside vendors reproduce the family sausage recipe elsewhere.

Most Rosati's use deck slate ovens rather than conveyor ovens because Sam Rosati preferred the crust characteristics that deck ovens produce.

Stores

Most Rosati's locations are small stores that are take-out or delivery specific, sometimes with facilities for a few diners, but without restaurant dining areas. The Gurnee, IL location can accommodate up to 30 families at one time with dine-in style seating.

a typical franchise investment in the company would be around $250,000 per store, according to published figures. Rosati's main competition in the Chicago area consists of many smaller, family-owned pizzerias and some large ones including Nancy's

Nancy's Pizza

Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc. operates italian-based Chicago-style restaurants in Illinois area which specialize in Chicago-style cuisine They have operated since 1990, when they took over the popular Nancy's Pizza chain of pizzerias. Nancy's itself was started in 1971 by Nancy and Rocco...

, Giordano's, Lou Malnati's

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is an American family-owned Chicago-style pizza restaurant chain headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It was founded by the son of Rudy Malnati, who was instrumental in developing the recipe for Chicago-style pizza, and it has become one of the Chicago area's best-known...

, Aurelio's

Aurelio's Pizza

Aurelio's Pizza is an Illinois restaurant chain which centers its business around the thin crust variety of Chicago-style pizza. Aurelio's Pizza has two corporate owned stores and 44 franchised locations in 6 states.-Aurelio's Pizza History:...

and Home Run Inn

Home Run Inn

Home Run Inn is a pizzeria chain based in the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area of the United States. It has seven locations, including two in Chicago, Addison, IL, Bolingbrook, IL, Westmont, IL, Bellwood, IL, Melrose Park, IL and Darien, IL...

.

External links

• Rosati's Pizza website
• Rosati's website
• There are two different Rosati's websites, each listing different Rosati's Pizza stores in the same area.
  • Rosati's Pizza locations list #1
  • Rosati's Pizza locations list #2