How Fazoli’s continues to build traffic amid market uncertainty

Operations

Tisha Bartlett, VP of Marketing at Fazoli’s, shares the winning value formula for unrivaled hospitality, quality food offerings, family friendly price point and digital innovations

Photo: Fazoli’s

November 21, 2025

The term “value” emerged as one of the top trending industry themes of 2024 and continues to dominate in 2025 and 2026. As restaurants navigate an uncertain economic landscape, many brands who have not historically emphasized value are now leaning into it with full force. At Fazoli’s, value has been a fundamental pillar since the chain was founded in 1998. While our pricing is certainly competitive, real value encompasses a wide range of elements. From unmatched food quality to an unparalleled guest experience and emerging tech solutions, there is much more to this formula that positions

Fazoli’s at the forefront of the restaurant space

At the heart of Fazoli’s is our dedication to offering superior restaurant experiences. We continue to preserve the elements that our guests love most and are often not expected in this category. Focusing on exceptional hospitality may sound simple; however, this can be overlooked as brands chase the latest and greatest industry trends. Authentic touches such as our tableside grated parmesan, fresh unlimited breadsticks served right to guests’ tables, and friendly service allow us to create a welcoming atmosphere that feels elevated and accessible. Our hospitality also extends beyond our four walls — through our brand ambassador program, our stores invest in their local communities, from giving back to first responders to hosting local fundraisers. We also offer catering, allowing our guests to indulge in their favorite Fazoli’s dishes at their next event, no matter the party size or occasion. These signature moments, woven into our brand identity, create meaningful value that transcends price.

Another element that goes hand-in-hand with an unmatched guest experience is quality food offerings. While there is no other limitd -service restaurant in the industry where you can feed a family of four for approximately $25, we remain committed to using the highest quality ingredients in our fresh pastas, breadsticks and other dishes that are synonymous with the Fazoli’s brand. We are always aiming to further enhance our core menu offerings like our sauces, baked lasagnas and pizza crust with data-driven decisions that exceed the expectations of our guests. Through extensive recipe development, market tests and leveraging guest feedback, we aim to better understand our target consumer, what they value most and how Fazoli’s can deliver.
We also strive to evolve and modernize our customer experience with continued technological innovations. Recently, we launched a refreshed website and app to

streamline the user experience and provide more personalized touchpoints to engage with our consumer. We also debuted an updated loyalty program structure, reinforcing our commitment to rewarding our guests. To further amplify our digital efforts, we explored how the use of AI can assist in enhancing the customer ordering process and have begun integrating this technology into our current drive-thru platform, a key competitive advantage for the brand. We see a great opportunity in leaning into this technology to enhance the drive-thru customer experience in a way that maintains the human connection our fans love about our brand.

A true driver of what separates Fazoli’s from other competitors is our price point. Given our scale as part of the FAT Brands family, we are able to generate significant cost efficiencies, which is beneficial in maintaining the unbeatable value that our fans have come to expect from Fazoli’s. Most recently, we launched a $3.99 small pasta campaign, supported by targeted social media promotion and a digital advertising push. While an undeniable offer, the campaign generated incredible ROI as we saw guests order additional items on our menu, increasing both our guest count and same store sales: The ultimate goal for any campaign.

Value across the board is a part of Fazolis’ DNA, not just in our pricing, but throughout the entire guest experience. While other brands within the industry may be pivoting to keep up with competitors and combat the current economic climate, Fazoli’s continues to stay true to its roots. We are continuing to see increased store traffic as our guests recognize that dining with us is more than just great prices. Offering our guests top quality meals at the best price point in a customer-first environment with tech-forward enhancements is the winning formula to keep them coming back time and time again.