July 18, 2002 - ROTOLO'S PIZZA IN GROCERS' FREEZERS

By Victor Epstein
FOR THE DISPATCH

A family-run pizzeria that's fed generations of Columbus residents is taking a shot at the $3 billion-a-year frozen-pizza industry.

Rotolo's Pizza has reached a deal with Kroger Co. to distribute its hand-tossed pizzas in frozen form. The Cincinnati-based grocery chain began selling them this month in six of its Columbus stores. Four independent grocers in the city also have elected to carry the fledgling brand.

The Kroger deal puts the Rotolo family on an entrepreneurial path previously trod by other food purveyors.

Bob Evans, for instance, first contacted Kroger in the 1960s about carrying its products and now is its largest sausage supplier. Dominic and Marisa Rotolo approached Kroger in May; the chain began selling their pizzas July 6.

Kroger spokesman Nick Rees said the decision to embark upon a market test was an easy one because Rotolo's is a Columbus institution.

"People want their pizzas,'' Rees said. "This is how a lot of big businesses have gotten their start.''

The idea to turn the Rotolo's name into a store brand was driven by the pizzeria's customers, who often complained about having to drive back to Grandview Heights for their pizza after moving away from the neighborhood. Many of those customers are former Ohio State University students now sending their own children to school.

The success of the Kroger test will be determined by customers, who will find Rotolo's pizzas on the same supermarket shelves as the national DiGiorno and Freschetta frozen pizza brands. If the Rotolo's sell well, Rees said Kroger could expand distribution to more of its 2,418 retail grocery stores.

Dominic Rotolo, part owner of the restaurant, said the family is confident their product is better than anything in the frozen-pizza industry. The hand-tossed pizzas are identical to those purchased over the counter at their restaurant, 1749 W. 5th Ave. They feature premium ingredients, such as Wisconsin cheese, and have no preservatives.

"Our customers biggest complaint has always been that we don't have any other locations, and when we go on vacation everything shuts down,'' Rotolo said. "We felt that we could serve them better by utilizing Kroger's distribution network.''

Four other Columbus grocery operations also are carrying Rotolo's frozen pizza: Hills Market, Weiland's Gourmet Market, Huffman's Market and Rife's Market.

Preston Beacom, manager of Hills Market in Worthington Hills, said his customers are responding favorably to the new brand. His store sold its supply of 18 pepperoni pizzas quickly and had ordered a second batch.

"Everybody that shops here and works here knows their pizza, and we jumped at the chance to carry their frozen pies,'' Beacom said.

The new venture has little downside for the Rotolo clan, which has invested between $10,000 and $12,000 on packaging, labels and a new freezer.

The frozen pizzas are prepared in the same restaurant the family has operated for the past 25 years, but during morning hours, when the kitchens otherwise would be idle. No employees have been added to the restaurant's existing 20-member staff.

The frozen-pizza business has already become an important part of the Rotolo's business, accounting for more than 600 pizzas a week. By contrast, the restaurant sells about 400 fresh pizzas over the counter. A fresh pepperoni pizza can be purchased over the counter for $9.25; the frozen pies can be obtained for $7.99.

Longtime customer Dave Lickovitch, 40, said the frozen pies are a welcome alternative on those occasions when he doesn't feel like making the trip down from his northwest Columbus home.

"When I was at OSU, we used to live on Rotolo's pizzas,'' Lickovitch said.

Rotolo's Pizzeria has been a family affair for its entire existence. Family patriarch Luigi Rotolo founded the restaurant a few years after moving to Columbus from the Naples region of Italy. He died seven years ago after shoveling snow from the restaurant sidewalk.

Mafalda Rotolo, wife of the founder, runs the restaurant with the help of her three children: Dominic, 36; Marisa Mentel, 38; and Rina Rotolo, 32. The four family members are co-owners.

Mentel said her 9-year-old daughter, Angela, is ready to carry on the family tradition.

"She just asked me the other day when she can run the register,'' Mentel said.

Printed from the Columbus Dispatch Business 01D Thursday, June 18, 2002

Return to 2002 News Archives