By Colin Gurney
Rosati’s Pizza has deep roots in both family and the city of Chicago, starting with an Italian immigrant family and spanning five generations.
The Rosati family opened their first Chicago restaurant in 1906, which has since grown in notoriety, expanding to cities like Omaha and even once serving notorious gangster Al Capone in 1920s Chicago.
This Omaha slice of the Rosati’s restaurant pie, located off 144th and West Maple Road, has continued the family-run tradition with a new immigrant family. Kendrick Au, General Manager and son of the owners, said that the restaurant brings the family and employees together.
“Everybody here looks out for each other,” Au said. “Everybody here cares about each other. We hang out outside of work. It’s a family environment, and at the end of the day, I think that stems from my parents enforcing the idea.”
This Rosati’s opened in February and is one of the few places in Omaha that serves authentic Chicago-style deep dish. First time customer Justin Carey said both he and his son Jace had a unique experience.
“It just feels more authentic and everything, coming from here,” Carey said. “It was definitely an experience, especially coming from not trying Chicago deep dish. But I liked it, I definitely did.”
Au says that at his Rosati’s, the theme is family, and he wants to make both the customers and crew feel like the restaurant is family.
After franchising in 2005, Rosati’s Pizza now has nearly 200 restaurants across America and was inducted into the Pizza Hall of Fame in 2015.
