Fazoli’s Trademarks

Fazoli’s is a premium Italian quick-service restaurant with several franchised locations. It is considered one of the largest free-standing quick-serve restaurants serving traditional and innovative Italian cuisines, such as its signature freshly-baked bread sticks, Submarinos, fresh-made pasta, salads, pizza, and desserts.

Most menu items are priced under $4. The company, formally known as Fazoli’s Systems, Inc., is strictly committed to selling only freshly made food, never reheated or frozen. It is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, and is currently owned by FAT Brands.

Let’s dive into the history of Fazoli’s, its products, and trademarks.

Fazoli’s Company History

Fazoli’s concept was conceived in 1988 and is based on a casual Italian-American diner. In 1990, two years later, Fazoli’s was officially launched with five key locations within Lexington, Kentucky.

Jerrico Inc. initially managed the company before selling it to Duskin Co. Ltd. The sale of Fazoli’s was necessitated by Jerrico Inc. needing to focus on the brand Long John Silver’s.

Fazoli’s later switched hands to Seed Restaurant Group, a restaurant company formed by Duskin Co. Ltd and entrepreneur Kuni Toyoda.

The mid-1990s saw rapid expansion for Fazoli’s. By 1992, there were 35 operational restaurants in Kentucky, Florida, and Indiana. In 1993, the number almost doubled, with Fazoli’s adding 25 new locations.

Within this period, sales also improved significantly, with Fazoli’s marking a $1 million annual sales volume per restaurant compared to $500,000 five years earlier. The increasing financial success made expanding the restaurant chain easier, with the startup cost of a new location ranging from $150,000 to $500,000. Most locations could also turn a profit within the first year of operations.

Fazoli’s peaked at 400 locations in 2004.

In October 2006, Sun Capital Partners acquired Fazoli’s from Seed Restaurant Group for an undisclosed amount. At the time of acquisition, Fazoli’s operated 319 locations in 32 states. These included 179 franchised locations.

Part of the deal stipulated that Sun Capital replaced Kuni Toyoda with Robert Weissmueller, a McDonald’s veteran, as the company’s president and chief executive officer.

Weissmueller served as president and CEO for two years before retiring in June 2008. Carl Howard inherited his role, taking the company’s helm when it suffered declining sales and rapid store closures. These issues were caused by the previous management’s cost-cutting measures which subsequently affected Fazoli’s bottom line.

The restaurant’s struggles continued for most of 2008, with one of the most significant blows being the closure of its 13 locations in Arizona.

Sentinel Capital Partners acquired Fazoli’s in July 2015 from Sun Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount. At the point of acquisition, Fazol’si had shrunk to operating only 124 company-owned restaurants and 89 franchises across 26 states.

The remaining location in Nevada closed in 2016 after 15 years of operation.

FAT Brands, Inc. then acquired Fazoli’s from Sentinel Capital Partners in November 2021 for $130 million. The company’s operation had steadied by this time, with 220 restaurant locations in 28 states.

After 14 years at the company’s helm, Carl Howard retired as CEO in 2022 and was replaced by Doug Bostick. Bostick was previously the brand’s senior vice president of Operations and Franchise Development.

Fazoli’s Products

Before Kuni Toyoda got involved with the company, Fazoli’s main product was pizza. However, Toyoda figured it was impossible to remain competitive by selling pizza only, so he diversified the restaurant’s menu.

Fazoli’s started focusing more on its pasta dishes, with Toyoda spearheading the drive to upgrade the restaurant’s pasta dishes to firmer choices and larger portions.

Fazoli’s had to rethink its menu again in the early 2000s after low carbohydrate diets became popular, decreasing sales of other menu items. In 2004, there were eight menu additions, packing at most 8 grams of fat. The menu also featured more proteins and vegetables.

To stay in tune with these new health demands from consumers, Fazoli’s hired Elizabeth Somer to help create low-calorie healthy dishes. In 2005, Fazoli stopped selling breadsticks with trans-fat.

In 2017, Fazoli’s started an app-based loyalty program, a first for the company. The mobile app also had mobile ordering capabilities.

Today, Fazoli’s menu has evolved from classic Italian dishes to Italian-American dishes, baked pasta, and their signature Submarinos sandwiches. The restaurant chain also sells other foods such as cheese or pepperoni pizza, baked spaghetti, meatball da Vinci, and seasonal salads.

Fazoli’s Trademarks

Fazoli’s has obtained or sought federal trademark registration for about 19 trademarks. These include “FAZOLI’S ITALIAN FOOD…FAST,” “SUBMARINOS,” and “MACARONIVILLE.”

On November 7, 1989, Fazoli’s obtained federal trademark registration for “FAZOLI’S ITALIAN FOOD…FAST.” The company uses the trademark for its restaurant services.

Fazoli’s obtained federal trademark registration for “SUBMARINOS” on July 25, 2000, and uses the trademark for its sandwiches.

In 2022, Fazoli’s also obtained federal trademark registration for “MACARONIVILLE.” The company uses the trademark for its restaurant services.