Pizza Today - July 2019 - 46

with renowned pizza makers such as Tony
Gemignani, attended workshops and seminars
at Pizza Expo, traveled to Italy to learn more
about products and processes and tapped the
resources of local marketing experts. He ran point
on the pet project, but his father's experience
and wisdom were crucial from day one as well.
"We put a lot of thought into Craft & Crust,"
Rotolo, Jr. says. "Everything we did was painstakingly examined and re-examined. Was this the
best way, or could we do it better? Was this the
best ingredient, or was there something else out
there? Should we use tap handles in the bar or
keep it super simple and go with brass taps and let
the beer menu do the talking? We looked at and
sometimes argued over every single detail. It was
that important that we get every facet of it right,
or at least to the best of our ability. There are going to be mistakes and nothing is ever perfect,
but we wanted it to be as good as we could get it."
THAT DRIVE AND PASSION IS A BIG PART OF
CRAFT & CRUST'S SUCCESS. Currently there are five

such units, four in Louisiana and one in Frisco, Texas. Each location has an upscale casual look with
modern finishes, a unique bar and a dine-in menu
that encourages customers to linger and unwind.
"We want you to come here, hangout, drink
and eat family share-style," Rotolo, Jr. says.
"We want you to feel comfortable here, to feel
at home. Food really drives people and brings
them together. We want to be a part of that."

4 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / J U LY 2 0 1 9

"We've learned
a lot about
being nimble
and adapting. It
can be very
challenging, but
it also can be
very rewarding."
- MITCH
ROTOLO, JR.

At the Baton Rouge location, for instance, the bar
is one of the key focal points and the area of which
Rotolo, Jr. is perhaps most proud.
"It is made from a sunken cypress tree that's over
500 years old," Rotolo Jr. says. "And the entire bar is
one tree. Cypress is really abundant in Louisiana and
it was really important to us that our bar be made of
cypress."
Each Craft & Crust location also features a "history wall" that highlights the company's heritage
from 1996 (when Rotolo, Sr. launched his pizza
company) to 2016 (when Rotolo, Jr. began transitioning to the Craft & Crust concept). The history
wall displays articles on each brand as well as highlights Rotolo Jr.'s many wins from the World Pizza
Games at International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.
"It's just to show people where we've come from,
who we are and where we're heading," Rotolo, Jr.
says.
THE "CRAFT" IN THE CRAFT & CRUST NAME COMES
FROM THE CRAFT BEER AND COCKTAIL COMPONENT.

A bar area has been crucial to the Rotolo's Pizzeria
success from day one, but it has taken on an even
bigger role in Craft & Crust insofar that it's a defining part of the brand.
"It's about the craft as much as it's about the
crust," Rotolo, Jr. explains. "We have 40 draft beers
on tap. Twenty of them rotate constantly. We really
try to keep up with the trends and bring in beers
that are unique and that you can't get everywhere
and that have a lot of buzz about them. Our customers get excited when there's a new one on tap

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Pizza Today - July 2019

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