"Give the people what they want." - Saverio "Sam" Rosati
Nearly a century ago these were the simple words Sam Rosati lived by; little did he know this humble philosophy helped shape the foundation on which Rosati’s Pizza was built. Sam’s father began the family’s rich tradition of serving delicious Italian food to customers in his New York restaurant back in the late 1890’s. After the turn of the century, the family moved to Chicago and opened yet another fine Italian restaurant featuring “Italian Style Pizza”, a tasty appetizer consisting of homemade tomato sauce served on a crispy piece of bread. In 1927, following in his father’s footsteps, Sam opened his own Italian restaurant in downtown Chicago. When Sam retired, his sons were ready to continue the family tradition. The year was 1964 and pizza in America had evolved and was starting to take off. The first Rosati’s Pizza opened its doors in a suburb of Chicago. In 1970, Rick Rosati, great grandson of Fred Sr., continued the family tradition and opened his own Rosati’s Pizza in Arlington Heights, Illinois. By 1978, a total of ten individual Rosati family members owned Rosati’s Pizza locations. In 1979 the family decided to expand the business and began franchising the Rosati’s Pizza concept. opened his first Rosati’s Pizza location in Belvidere, Illinois marking the fifth generation of Rosati family members serving delicious Italian food. Other locations soon followed and Rosati’s Pizza was on the map.
