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New owners plan modern makeover for Spaghetti Warehouse

New owners plan modern makeover for Spaghetti Warehouse

IRVING Texas —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

The new prototype, expected to break ground this year with a chainwide remodeling program to commence soon after, are key parts of the turnaround that Frandeli Group LLC, an Irvine, Calif.-based restaurant investment and operations company, has been mounting for the chain since acquiring it in 2007. The company currently has 20 Spaghetti Warehouse restaurants in nine states along with 65 franchised Papa John’s Pizza units. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

The brand is being freshened up and prepared for growth after a long down period under previous ownership. Yet the current owners say they also are holding true to the formula that has pleased crowds since the first Spaghetti Warehouse opened in Dallas in 1972: an emphasis on fun, families, and big portions of Italian favorites like spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and chicken parmigiana, served for a per-person average check under $12. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

Such offerings are as relevant to customers today as they were back in the chain’s heyday of the early 1990s, when the company was publically traded and had more than 50 units, said Azam Malik, president of Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurants Inc., based in Irving, Texas, and chief operating officer of Frandeli. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

“We bought it because we realized it has a lot of potential,” said Malik, formerly the president of Piccadilly Restaurants. “We want to make it more contemporary. But we’re not changing or repositioning it, just renewing the original idea, which had kind of lost its edge.” —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

Vision 360 in Dallas designed the prototype with that in mind. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

“Our marching orders were to bring the current look up to date,” said Michelle Bushey, principal and creative director of Vision 360. “We’ve kept the essence of the brand, so there is familiarity and a comfort level for existing customers, but we’re also appealing to new customers and those who have lost touch.” —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

The focal point of the prototype is an old-time trolley car, one of the nostalgic touches of the established restaurants, located in an entry area marked by a 30-foot-high cupola. Other hallmarks of the new look include reclaimed brick veneer, Edison lamp pendants and large tufted booths and butcher block tables. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

At 9,000 square feet and more than 400 seats, the prototype is substantially smaller than the established Spaghetti Warehouse units, which average about 13,000 square feet and can have up to 600 seats. The downsized footprint is tailored to fit the lifestyle developments and malls the company plans to enter in the future, although it hasn’t ruled out new warehouse locations, either. The concept grew during the 1990s by seeking out less-expensive warehouse locations. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

Spacious dining rooms and kitchens remain essential to the concept, Malik said. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

“Our brand attracts large groups, so we must have the dining room space,” he said. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

The dining-room area in the prototype has been maximized by removing surplus space from the kitchen, which has been down-sized from 4,000 square feet in established units to about 2,300 square feet. That leaves ample production capacity for a made-from-scratch food preparation system. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

“We make everything in house,” Malik said. “That requires production and storage capability.” —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

To keep up with the demand for its namesake product, spaghetti is par-cooked in 50-gallon and 15-gallon steam kettles, chilled for holding and rapidly heated and sauced at service time. Our Incredible 15-Layer Lasagna, a house signature, is made fresh every day as well. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

As popular as those items are, the new menu will also have an increased emphasis on new items that are cooked to order with conventional sauté, grill and broiler equipment, as well as pieces like convection ovens and cheese melters. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

In addition, kitchens will be equipped to implement specialty pizza, which management hopes will be a popular complement to its pastas. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

“It will be a casual-dining-style pizza made to order with fresh dough,” Malik said. “We will have dough-proofing stations and a conveyor oven that works very fast and efficiently.” —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

Another new focus for Spaghetti Warehouse will be takeout orders, handled in a dedicated ordering and pickup area. —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

“We’re going to make it very convenient for customers,” Malik said. “They will not have to go through the dining room to get their orders.” —Spaghetti Warehouse, with its new prototype, is scaling back its famously large kitchen for better space utilization and equipping it for thrusts into specialty pizza and made-to-order cooking.

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