Fazoli's coming to Detroit area

Source: Detroit Free Press
Fazoli's, fast food's answer to Italian cuisine, is moving into metro Detroit.

The Lexington, Ky.-based company plans to open a store in Canton in June and one to three more in the market before the end of the year, said Charlie Lousignont, a Fazoli's spokesman.

The 392-store chain, which includes 17 Michigan sites in cities such as Jackson, Traverse City and Lansing, features a variety of pastas, lasagnas, submarine sandwiches, salads and pizza. It's a similar menu to the one at Sbarro's restaurants, which can often be found in shopping mall food courts.

"We don't really consider ourselves fast food in the McDonald's fast-food sense of the word," said Lousignont. "We define ourselves as fast casual."

But truth be told, with many meals priced less than $4, counter service and drive-through windows, Fazoli's is very fast-food-like, minus the fryers. All Fazoli products are fresh and cooked on the site, Lousignont said.

Another difference is the service approach.

Customers eating in will find employees wandering the dining room floor offering free drink refills and endless supplies of bread sticks.

About 70 percent of the company's $431 million in annual sales take place in the dining rooms vs. 30 percent from take-out, Lousignont said.

Fazoli's was founded in 1988 by Jerrico Inc., the same restaurant company that owned the Long John Silvers seafood chain at the time.

In 1990, Fazoli's -- then a five-store chain -- was sold to restaurant industry veteran Kuni Toyoda's Seed Restaurant Group Inc. in Lexington. Today, the privately held company is majority-owned by its 6,500 employees.

The chain plans to open 25 restaurants nationwide this year. About 179 of Fazoli's sites are company-owned, with the remainder owned by franchisees. The metro Detroit stores will be owned by Tuscan Restaurants based in Battle Creek, Lousignont said.
Source: Detroit Free Press