Rosati’s Pizza Gears Up for 50-Year Anniversary

By Michael Sewall

Although the Palatine Rosati’s Pizza is an offshoot of the company celebrating 50 years in business, it still shares in the history that goes back about a century—all thanks to Ferdinand Rosati, who ditched New York in the early 1900s for the more favorable pizza haven in Chicago.

Ferdinand, an Italian immigrant, opened a traditional Italian restaurant on Taylor Street and welcomed guests with a free appetizer that he called “Pizza A’Olia,” a flatbread-style dish with homemade sauce and a thin layer of cheese. It was so popular that pizza became the focus of the restaurant, and since then Rosati’s has grown into a large family business.

His son, Sam, opened a second restaurant in 1927, and in 1964 the third generation of Rosatis launched the original Rosati’s Pizza in Mount Prospect. That Rosati’s Pizza has grown to nearly 130 locations in 14 states, and in 2014 they will celebrate 50 years in business.

In 1970, however, brother Rick Rosati shared rights to the company’s name and opened his first location in Arlington Heights. That group is now 51 locations strong across the country. The two operate separately but largely share the same branding and menu.