Uno Chicago Grill: deep-dish pizza pioneer shows its sweet side, slices into new sales potential with chocolate-chip cookie sundae

Nation's Restaurant News, May 9, 2005 by Bonnie Brewer Cavanaugh

It seems only fitting that the inventor of the original deep-dish Chicago-style pizza would be the first major chain to roll out a deep-dish sundae dessert. Boston-based Uno Chicago Grill, formerly known as Pizzeria Uno, launched in December 2004 its new Deep Dish Sundae, a sweet and gooey homage to the firm's original deep-dish pizza created at the original Pizzeria Uno restaurant in Chicago decades ago.

Developed by Christopher S. Gatto, executive chef and vice president, food and beverage, the deep-dish sundae features an oversized, chocolate-chip cookie baked in a deep-dish pan. The cookie then is served warm in the pan and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

The sundae is a throwback to the beginnings of the chain, Gatto says.

"We're taking advantage of our deep-dish pizza," he notes. "It's a unique item that you can only get at a place like Uno's. We've got a pan-baked cookie that comes right out of the oven. We invented the deep-dish pizza back in 1943, so a deep-dish-theme dessert was a natural line extension."

Ike Sewell, owner of the original Pizzeria Uno restaurant in Chicago, invented the original deep-dish pizza. He came up with the dish to turn ordinary pizza into a hearty meal, according to the company. It become so popular that Sewell soon opened Pizzeria Due on an opposite street corner.

The concept's growth followed in 1978, when Aaron Spencer gained Sewell's approval to expand the concept to other markets. Spencer opened his first Pizzeria Uno restaurant in Boston the following year.

On Feb. 23 this year Centre Partners of New York and Los Angeles, a private equity firm founded by Spencer, acquired a controlling interest in the company.

The brand kept evolving, adding new grilled menu items in addition to Uno's signature deep-dish pies. The company became Uno Chicago Grill, now based in Boston and parented by Uno Restaurant Holdings Corp., which operates and franchises more than 200 Uno Pizzeria Grill restaurants in 32 states as well as Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; South Korea; and the United Arab Emirates.

The deep-dish sundae can be the priciest of the menu's five desserts, depending on where it's being served. In some markets all five desserts retail for about $3.99 or $4.99. Yet in a New Jersey market, the deep-dish sundae is listed at $5.49, while Uno's other dessert items--like its popular Chicago cheesecake served with strawberries or fudge, or the All American, hot apple crisp topped with ice cream, whipped cream, cinnamon and an American flag--retail for about $4.79.A unit in Williamsburg, Va., lists the deep-dish sundae at $4.99, while the other four desserts are priced at $3.99.

Adding the sundae was a wise move in any market, as the deep-dish sundae is outselling its partner desserts nationwide, according to Gatto. It may be even driving the business, he says.

"Based on the sales, it's attracted a following; you can just tell," Gatto says. "It has been our No. 1 dessert from day one."

As a privately held company, Uno does not reveal such figures as annual sales, check averages, development costs for menu items or even food and labor

costs as they relate to a percentage of the overall business cost, Gatto says. However, in a February press release, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corp. noted systemwide sales of nearly $500 million for 2004. The company also operates a consumer foods division.

The chain's company-owned stores are selling about 12,000 deep-dish sundaes per week, Gatto notes. That does not include franchised units, for which figures were not available. Each 150-seat Uno restaurant also includes about 35 bar seats.

The company was so sure the dish would be a winner that it barely tested it before the nationwide launch.

"We kind of knew this was going to be a home run," notes Gatto, a Boston native whose first job was working at Fenway Park. "We took a few shortcuts and rolled it out in a matter of weeks. We rolled it out to the entire system and haven't looked back since."

He adds, "It's one of those products that you just have a feeling about."

The entire Uno staff is behind the product, Gatto notes. "And you know what happens when the staff gets behind a product," he says. "The staff likes the product so much; it's the most important element to promoting it. They feel so confident that the guests will love it that they recommend it to everyone."

He adds, "You know you have a winning item when the staff is ordering it for themselves on break."

Another advantage of the dish is that it is easy to produce, requiring no special equipment or dishware.

"We use our current deep-dish pans that we bake our deep-dish pizzas in, and that's how it's served," Gatto says.

Although the deep-dish sundae essentially is Gatto's creation, he is quick to note the group effort that goes on behind the scenes at Uno.

"The success of this item is a credit to not only our R&D chain but to our marketing and our operations teams," he says. "We work together every day, delivering a unique type of quality experience to our guests. Purchasing also played a big role in getting this out quickly. And we have the best [purchasing team]."