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Fazoli's - Closed For Business in Arizona

By Calie Waterhouse

Education & Training

September 09, 2008 01:47 PM

After a long day of sitting in class and traffic, I decided to take the kiddos to dinner at Fazoli's. In case you've never heard of the place - they typically serve fast Italian food. For us - it was pretty good. Spagetti, ziti, sandwiches, bread sticks and salads. Good food at a good price.

Fazoli's

... but not tonight. While driving through the parking lot, I noticed that the Arizona Ave/Warner Rd location drive-thru menu board had been taken down. Then, I noticed that it was completely void of any vehicles. Then we saw it ... the sign on the window ... "CLOSED FOR BUSINESS IN ARIZONA".

I must admit, I'm surprised and a little sad. This was a nice, family friendly place with 9 Arizona locations. It's kind of sad to think that Fazoli's could be just one more casualty of today's economy.

Hat Tip: J. Ferguson's article on 7/16/08 from the AZ Daily Sun

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Myrl Jeffcoat

Sacramento, CA

Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

It's not a good sign to see restaurants close. Here in my area, we had a KFC close at a busy intersection of the city. A few weeks later, I was in the same area, and a Chinese Buffet had closed. There are now 3 closed restaurants within that same 2 block area. I suspect the price of gas, and other economic factors, has taken it's toll on the restaurant industry. When families are trying to cut back budget wise, eating out can be one of the "luxuries" that gets cut first.

Sep 09, 2008 01:52 PM

Val Allocco

Staged 2 Sell New York & Long Island - Northport, NY

HSE; ASHSR - Home Stager, for Manhattan, Brooklyn & Long Island

Hi Calie,

It's always sad AND a little scary to see well-established businesses close due to an unsteady economy. When they hit us in our stomachs, it's worse (tongue in cheek)!

All kidding aside, just ride up and down any Main Street, USA and you will see businesses that have been around for decades closing up shop. They just can't keep up with the high costs of running a business these days. It's really unfortunate that the 'chain' stores are taking over because they are so impersonal and more often than not, they don't care a hoot about the local economy nor do they even try to connect with the people who live there.

The only way that we can help the small business people is to patronize their stores and companies. I am aware that it might cost a little more, but we all help each other and we should realize that by keeping our local stores open, there is one less empty building or storefront on Main Street which, in turn, affects the credibility of our town.

Val

Sep 10, 2008 01:17 PM

Dione Sage

Nova Home Loans - Gilbert, AZ

WOW...I did not realize that Fazolis closed all of their AZ locations. I agree with you, My kids loved going there and it was convenient, well priced and a great place for a family dinner on the run. That is really too bad.

Sep 14, 2008 04:14 AM

Calie Waterhouse

Chandler, AZ

Community Builder

Myrl - You've absolutely hit the nail on the head - eating out is a luxury and unfortunately, one that has hit us all very hard - right where it hurts (pocket book). Thanks for being the first to comment.

Val - I completely agree, unfortunately, there has been a time or two when one of our favorite mom/pop shops have gone out of business. When that happens my kids feel bad and so do I - but I just have to remind us that it's not 100% our responsibility to keep "them" in business. Great advice - Thanks.

Dione - We love to patronize stores that pursue families ... We go out of our way to go to restaurants or shop at stores that cater to families ... whether it's a discounted kids meal or a free ice-cream cone - We are always looking for ways to keep our family together. Thanks for commenting.

Sep 14, 2008 07:43 AM

Eric Frederick

Eric at Eagle Nationwide Mortgage Co. - Phoenix, AZ

Wow, I agree that this can't be good for the long term bets on AZ's economy.

Sep 17, 2008 12:06 PM

As a mortgage professional, Eric - I bet you're seeing a lot of "signs" ... Oh, I see you're fairly new to A/R - welcome to the Rain! - Calie

Sep 18, 2008 12:28 PM

Anonymous

Unidentified Person

hey uh i noticed that to

Sep 20, 2008 06:04 PM

derek

i worked there and quit shortly before they closed. i miss fazolis

Oct 14, 2008 04:50 PM

Kay

This is disappointing for sure, but it's not altogether surprising considering that "Tomato Scare of 2008." Surely it was going to impact business at Fazoli's the most -- I mean, their logo is a huge freakin' tomato!

Nov 03, 2008 04:54 AM

Nadia

Fazoli's was poorly ran, and many of the stores were literally dirty pits until they suddenly realized they needed to turn them around or close. Unfortunately, it was too late. The cleanest most of the stores had been since they opened was probably in their last six months of operation. I had never worked for an operation that had such bizarre standards, worked their crew like dogs for pennies, and had such cheap products to offer. Some of the stuff was good, but often times the products were rotated incorrectly, or were simply sub-par. The "meat sauce," was only 20% meat, the alfredo sauce was runny, the sandwich meats were composite, and they focussed on weird stuff - like drive-thru times. Inventory EVERY NIGHT, weighing out cheese, meat, etc. to the ounce, everything. The politics in the restaurants were trashy and many of the managers were dishonest and had no problem sheisting another for their own gain. Nellis Management now pretends it has NEVER dealt with or heard of Fazoli's. Their one super, duper, big screw-up.

Jan 01, 2009 09:17 PM

#10

Andrew Monaghan

The Monaghan Group - Glendale, AZ

CRS, GRI, EPro Associate Broker

I miss Fazolis, we went there with the kids on a regular basis and they really enjoyed it, the staff and food were great and i never saw any of the challenges spoken about above by Nadia (disgruntled former employee with a ax to grind, Just wondering...)

Jan 04, 2009 03:01 PM

Fazoli's - Closed For Business in Arizona

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Calie Waterhouse

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