Fazoli’s is a fast casual restaurant chain in the United States. It serves quality Italian food and is based in Lexington, Kentucky. The restaurant has devoted a lot of time and energy into innovating its menu. There have been numerous additions of new items to the menu over the years, such as the six-layer lasagna and the 9-inch brick oven pizza. Aside from the delicious Italian food, the establishment provides excellent customer service. In 2009, the establishment introduced over 30 new dishes. These items brought new flavor and fresh high quality ingredients to the menu. This innovation refreshed 80% of the entire menu. The establishment is commented to serving great Italian food in a fast and friendly environment.

Fazoli’s mission is “to serve premium quality Italian food, fast, fresh and friendly.” The establishment’s company values are the following: “great guest service is what we do; people come first; integrity is everything; teamwork makes the difference; and pursuit of excellence is never-ending.” Customers are a primary focus at this establishment.  Customers are provided with special treatment, from fresh refills to an unlimited supply of breadsticks. This special treatment keeps them coming back. The satisfaction that customers experience at the restaurant is due to the delicious food as well as the premium customer service.

History

The first restaurant opened in Lexington, Kentucky in 1988. The Fazoli’s brand was created that year by multi-brand restaurant group Jerrico, Inc. This restaurant grew into a five restaurant brand. After two successful years, the concept was sold to Seed Restaurant Group, Inc., which is also based in Lexington, Kentucky. Seed Restaurant Group continued to develop the chain by adding new Italian dishes to the menu. These new dishes included baked pastas, Submarinos® sandwiches, pizza, entrées, salads, and desserts. The company soon opened six more locations in Lexington.

The first location outside of Kentucky was opened in 1991 by McKenzie Enterprises in Orlando, Florida. By 1992, the establishment had expanded to 28 locations. In 1993, the chain expanded into the St. Louis, Missouri market. The 50^th location opened in Auburn, Indiana in 1994. By the end of that year, there were 73 company restaurants and 19 franchised restaurants. In 1995, the company opened more locations in Iowa, Wisconsin, Colorado, South Carolina, and Ohio. The 100^th location was opened in 1995 in Oviedo, Florida. In 1996 another set of restaurants was opened, consisting of 55 company-owned and 29 franchised restaurants. To this day, the establishment remains a privately owned company.

In 1997, the establishment decided to slow down the growth of the company-owned restaurants, and focused more on expanding the franchises. More franchise restaurants were opened in 1999. Increasing brand-awareness promoted aggressive franchise expansion in Texas and the Southwest. More and more locations open throughout the United States, as the chain continued to expand. In 2006, the restaurant chain was acquired by Sun Capital Partners, a private equity group. After eight years of ownership, Sun Capital Partners put the establishment up for sale in 2014. In 2015, Sun Capital Partners sold the chain to Sentinel Capital Partners.

The company currently owns and operates 217 restaurants in 26 states. Some examples of these states include: Kentucky, California, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, and Utah. In 2000, the establishment won the Nation’s Restaurant News and Coca-Cola sponsored Industry of Choice Award for unique human resources programs and impact. In 2001, the chain also won the Nation’s Restaurant News and Coca-Cola sponsored People and Performance Award for dynamic employee retention practices and results. In 2003, the establishment was recognized by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine with the Best Kids Menu in America award. The establishment has received many more awards and acknowledgements over the years, such as the 2015 COEX Innovation Award in Marketing/Service.

Review

The establishment serves Italian cuisine. The menu consists of fresh made pastas, submarinos, pizzas, salad bowls, family meals, senior meals, “lighter options under 550”, kid’s meals, desserts/treats and drinks. The pastas include baked ziti, baked spaghettis, and twice-baked lasagna. These pasta dishes are priced between $6 and $7. There is also the build your pasta bowl option as well as the samplers. The build your pasta bowl option is between $5 and $6. The samplers include the classic sampler, ultimate sampler, and spicy sampler. The samplers are priced between $6 and $8. There are also the signature garlic bread sticks.

The submarinos are submarine-type sandwiches made to order and served on hot, freshly baked bread. The classic submarinos include Fazoli’s Original, Turkey Club Italiano, Ultimate Meatball Smasher, and Smoked Turkey Basil. The submarinos are between $6 and $7. The combos are between $9 and $10. The restaurant also offers 9-inch brick oven-style pizza. The pizza has two topping choices, cheese and pepperoni and is served as a double slice or as a whole pie. The double slice pizzas are between $4 and $5, while the whole pies are between $9 and $10.  There are also the classic dishes such as spaghetti with meat sauce, fettucine Alfredo, and twice-baked lasagna. Specialties include penne Romano, chicken parmigano, penne with creamy basil chicken, chicken broccoli penne bake, and chicken carbonara.

The fresh salad bowls consist of the Cherry Apple Almond, Italian House, and the Caesar Italia. The fresh salad bowls are between $6 and $7. There are also side salads between $2 and $3. The family meals are between $16 and $27. Examples of the family meals include the Family Pasta Duo and the Family Baked Pasta. The family meals serve up to four people and include family salad and eight breadsticks. The senior meals consist of a smaller portion of spaghetti with marinara or meat sauce, baked spaghetti, fettucine alfredo, and twice-baked lasagna. The senior meals come with side salads and are available on Wednesdays only at select locations.

The Kids Meals cater to children who are twelve years and under and include apple juice and breadsticks. The Kids Meals are between $3 and $4 and consist of pasta and sauce, pizza, and ravioli. Desserts are between $1 and $3, and include the New York Style Cheesecake, Italian Donuts, Chocolate Layer Cake, and the Chocolate Chunk Cookie. The establishment also has a catering menu. The establishment’s standard hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sundays. The restaurants are clean and the service is great. The staff is very professional and friendly. The pastas and pizzas are highly recommended and everyone loves the breadsticks. Fazoli’s is the place to go if you are looking for tasty Italian food that is reasonably priced, fast, and delicious.