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tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption
CHAIN -- Fazoli's Slogan: "Italian Food Fast". As opposed to "Fast Food Italian", which is really the rub. Oh look! It's Dusty. Dusty used to work at Long John Silver's. He wandered the restaurant and pushed Hush Puppies. Hush Puppies look like doughnut holes, but they're basically a sort of bread-like substance with a bit of onion. I don't care for them. Dusty just didn't get this and used to bug me about it a lot. "Oh come on! You'll like THESE Hush Puppies!" Dusty could have been assigned the token "breadstick boy" position at Fazoli's, but somebody decided to let him handle the cash register instead. Which is fine. Dusty is a colorful character if nothing else, and he does make people smile. Fazoli's started life in 1988 under the name "Gratzi's" as a plunge into a new concept by Jerrico, the Long John Silver's people. The "Fazoli's" name came a year later. A year after that, the five-unit chain was independent of Jerrico. The concept was fine-tuned and Fazoli's began a rapid growth. That didn't always go so well, though. Fazoli's was held by a private equity firm that had several other concepts in its umbrella last time I looked. McDonald's once held a significant investment. Store numbers have been in decline for some time...there were nearly 400 stores at Fazoli's peak. Fazoli's succeeded by bringing a concept to the fast food table that nobody had really done yet. And they did it well. Italian food at fast food prices. It doesn't feel like fast food because items are not usually "finger food". You actually need a plate and a fork for many of the items. Fazoli's most popular menu item is the "Sampler Platter", a plate with lasagna, fettuccini alfredo, and spaghetti. Nearly everything else on the menu comes and goes. There's been ravioli, pastas, subs ("Submarinos"), pizza, salads, and more. For awhile they had REALLY good Calzones. There's been several items unique to Fazoli's, like Baked Spaghetti Parmesan. There's barely been a time when I've made back-to-back visits to Fazoli's and they've even had the same menu board. It's that ridiculous. Whatever you find on the menu, it will be served with fabulous breadsticks, served hot and...if you're lucky...greasy. Fazoli's used to have an employee wander the restaurant offering free additional breadsticks from a basket, but that practice has been discontinued...at least at my local outlets. This is a concept that really should work. I don't quite get why Fazoli's is having problems finding solid footing. But as long as they're around, they'll continue as one of my dining options. Click here to return to tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption |
