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Mr Gatti's


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I'd kill for a Gatti's on Long Island, yes we have stellar pizza but I miss my Cinnamon Sticks and the BBQ Chicken PIzza. So many memories of Gatti's especially the one off Balcones Drive by 2222.  

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8 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Dial 459-2222 and get a Mr. Gatti's pizza delivered. Real cheese. Real hot. Real taste is what we got. Real service. Real fast. All the other pizzas are a thing of the past. So dial 459-2222. Mr. Gatti's, the best pizza in town.

Now that's some effective marketing if I can remember a spot that ran in a town I haven't lived in for over 26 years.

100%

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23 minutes ago, next2naus said:

I'd kill for a Gatti's on Long Island, yes we have stellar pizza but I miss my Cinnamon Sticks and the BBQ Chicken PIzza. So many memories of Gatti's especially the one off Balcones Drive by 2222.  

Grew up in that place. Pizza, root beer and a sit-down Asteroids machine. 

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I'm pretty sure Gatti's lost a shitload of money during my time on the 40.  I'm not proud of it now, but let's just say, I carried lots of aluminum foil in my backpack. On a slightly related note, is Gumby's still around?  I think the pizzas were like $2.99 or something ridiculously low when lived in Jester.  I believe they had coupons on the back page of the Daily Texan.  Sorry.  Reminiscing. 

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growing up we had a gatti's at preston and park in plano that was a treat to go to.  a pizza and pasta buffet where we can watch a giant tv showing cartoons while we eat?  YES.

we went to the gattitown in RR in feb 2020 two weekends before covid starting getting major attention.  the entire place was so dirty- sticky tables, greasy glasses, dirty forks, slippery floors (that weren't wet!), and it was packed to the gills.  pretty much turned me off gattis forever.  and now you're putting them into walmarts?  

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1 hour ago, mdmost said:

Dial 459-2222 and get a Mr. Gatti's pizza delivered. Real cheese. Real hot. Real taste is what we got. Real service. Real fast. All the other pizzas are a thing of the past. So dial 459-2222. Mr. Gatti's, the best pizza in town.

Now that's some effective marketing if I can remember a spot that ran in a town I haven't lived in for over 26 years.

I still use that number anytime I buy something and the clerk ask me for my number. 

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1 hour ago, mdmost said:

Dial 459-2222 and get a Mr. Gatti's pizza delivered. Real cheese. Real hot. Real taste is what we got. Real service. Real fast. All the other pizzas are a thing of the past. So dial 459-2222. Mr. Gatti's, the best pizza in town.

You son of a bitch.  

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Gattis on MLK.  I had a "study for finals" routine there.  Show up and buy the lunch buffet.  Eat too much pizza, drink lots of tea.  Sit at a table and read your study materials, books, etc.  For hours.  Until dinner time came around.  Then get back up, get more pizza, more iced tea.  Two meals, bottomless iced tea, cool place to do some study reading, total cost of like $5-$6 or so (lunch price was cheaper than dinner).

Years later, regularly took the kids (mostly the boy) to the locations on Far West and Shoal Creek at Anderson for buffet and video games/claw machine games.  Good times.  Mediocre pizza, but good times.

Interestingly, I first discovered Mr. Gattis not in Austin but in Oklahoma City of all places, at the Holidome Holiday Inn.  Dad would work up there sometimes, and we'd tag along in the summers.  One of his high school buddies lived there, had a daughter a year older than me, we'd hang out.  One summer, we were probably 10-11, my parents sprung for a room at the Holidome, the room opened up right onto the indoor pool.  Cute girl and I had the run of the place all damned day.  Swimming in the pool, come back to the room for snacks, more swimming.  That night, the adults went out for dinner.  They ordered us Mr. Gattis, and we got to hang in the hotel and watch some movie on HBO (they had HBO!).  Full day of swimming with a cute girl I was just figuring out I had a crush on.  Hungry as hell.  Pizza.  Movie.  She and I went on and on about how that was the best pizza we'd ever had.  Damned shame I was too young to realize that I had a real-deal crush on her, and the mood was NEVER getting any better than that perfect night.  Alas, it was never to be.  But I still remember the pizza.

Oh, and I recently found out that the gal turned into a disaster, lives off of state assistance, has moved back in with her parents.  Because Oklahoma.  Bullet...dodged.

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My Gatti's were Far West, Anderson Lane, or 183/Balcones Woods Drive.  So many birthday parties and after-game events, then high school lunches.

Then of course in college, the Gatti's on MLK was a lifesaver when you were a poor broke and starving college kid.

Now Gatti's is the only fast-food-chain pizza my kids will eat, so we still end up getting it once or twice per month.  Tastes exactly the same to me, and the ranch does indeed still slam and go hard.

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i still love how Wally Pryor never realized there was an apostrophe in "Gatti's."  at every UT game i went to, he always called it Mr. Gat-tiss instead of Mr. Gat-tees.

man i loved the Gatti's buffet, even as an adult.  

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16 minutes ago, utee94 said:

My Gatti's were Far West, Anderson Lane, or 183/Balcones Woods Drive.  So many birthday parties and after-game events, then high school lunches.

Then of course in college, the Gatti's on MLK was a lifesaver when you were a poor broke and starving college kid.

Now Gatti's is the only fast-food-chain pizza my kids will eat, so we still end up getting it once or twice per month.  Tastes exactly the same to me, and the ranch does indeed still slam and go hard.

Tastes exactly like it did 50 years ago. It's pretty amazing. New ownership tried to change the recipes several years ago and the outcry by their customers forced them to abandon the idea pretty quickly. 

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, SimonBolivar said:

I grew up on Gattis and love it to this day. I took my wife to one 3 or 4 years ago and she thought it was CiCi's level. Surely she's wrong and my nostalgia is correct.

Unfortunately your wife was not wrong. I grew up on Gatti's and even worked at the one on 183/Balcones CC during summers while in school, and I can tell you the pizza is now of a very low quality. We have a new one near our home in Fort Worth and it's just not good at all. Years ago, they went to a different sauce, used grated smoky provolone instead of full slices of regular provolone, and started cooking them in conveyor ovens. Not nearly the same pizza. 

Edited by fwtxbevo
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fresh cheese sticks + ranch slam

I crave their particular flavor a couple of times a year.  Buffett and Arcade were a suburb/elementary staple in the Houston burbs.

Had a large extra cheese and extra pizza sauce recently and it was fantastic (provolone always melts nice when they use enough of it)

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, mdmost said:

Dial 459-2222 and get a Mr. Gatti's pizza delivered. Real cheese. Real hot. Real taste is what we got. Real service. Real fast. All the other pizzas are a thing of the past. So dial 459-2222. Mr. Gatti's, the best pizza in town.

Now that's some effective marketing if I can remember a spot that ran in a town I haven't lived in for over 26 years.


that Mr gattis cheese slapped

 

 

 

58 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:

Now im hungry for the Gattis Sampler

god damn GIF

Edited by tx 3 putt
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For me it's the sauce.  It just has some extra, special tang or zip to it, that no other place has.  It's the defining flavor of Mr. Gatti's for me, and it hasn't changed in over 40 years.

 

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I think nearly ever end of season party for little league and soccer as a kid was held in the Mr. Gatti's where I grew up.  This was the 80s and the Gatti's had a projection television that seemed like something from the future when I was a kid.  It also had the most kick ass arcade room outside of the arcade at the mall.  Much of my allowance was deposited into those games.

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6 minutes ago, utee94 said:

For me it's the sauce.  It just has some extra, special tang or zip to it, that no other place has.  It's the defining flavor of Mr. Gatti's for me, and it hasn't changed in over 40 years.

 

yes, the sauce is just better

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, ScottS said:

I think nearly ever end of season party for little league and soccer as a kid was held in the Mr. Gatti's where I grew up.  This was the 80s and the Gatti's had a projection television that seemed like something from the future when I was a kid.  It also had the most kick ass arcade room outside of the arcade at the mall.  Much of my allowance was deposited into those games.

I'm younger than you but I remember watching Peyton playing Tennessee as a kid vs Florida on the projector as I pestered my parents for quarters to play more Primal Rage. 

Edited by SimonBolivar
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3 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I'm pretty sure Gatti's lost a shitload of money during my time on the 40.  I'm not proud of it now, but let's just say, I carried lots of aluminum foil in my backpack. On a slightly related note, is Gumby's still around?  I think the pizzas were like $2.99 or something ridiculously low when lived in Jester.  I believe they had coupons on the back page of the Daily Texan.  Sorry.  Reminiscing. 

I need an answer to this, too. There was one other place I recall, just below the Castilian? Slightly better and slightly more expensive than Gumby's (but not much), $4 for a medium.

I don't remember Gatti's pizza being good, just that a student could get a LOT of food on MLK for not very much money.

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Posted (edited)

Double Dave's?

I swear of the freshman 15 I gained, more like 20, at least 10 of those could be attributed to the buffet at Mr. Gatti's off MLK. 

Edited by mdmost
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13 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

I need an answer to this, too. There was one other place I recall, just below the Castilian? Slightly better and slightly more expensive than Gumby's (but not much), $4 for a medium.

I don't remember Gatti's pizza being good, just that a student could get a LOT of food on MLK for not very much money.

Gumby's pepperoni rolls slammed and went hard. 

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When I was at UT for undegrad (1990-1994) there where three super-cheap pizza brands that operated around campus.  Gumby's, Pizza Time, and Pizza Classics.  You could get a large of any of them for like, $4. 

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2 minutes ago, utee94 said:

When I was at UT for undegrad (1990-1994) there where three super-cheap pizza brands that operated around campus.  Gumby's, Pizza Time, and Pizza Classics.  You could get a large of any of them for like, $4. 


further proof boomers ruin everything !!!!

 

The Office Boomer GIF by MOODMAN

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Double Dave's Pepperoni Rolls via Buffet was a deal

Gumby's....could walk around the Frat House or the Waterford and collect coupons off discarded PIzza boxes for a free cheese pie. 

Gatti's...broke my leg hoping over the fence at the Balcones one, remember going there the day my dad died, crushed much pizza, sticks, etc at the MLK and Far West locations. My wife is from NY, one trip to ACL Fest I turned her on to Gattis post festival as we ate in our hotel room, she understood the nostalgia and the deliciousness of the cheese sticks 

3 minutes ago, utee94 said:

When I was at UT for undegrad (1990-1994) there where three super-cheap pizza brands that operated around campus.  Gumby's, Pizza Time, and Pizza Classics.  You could get a large of any of them for like, $4. 

srsly, or eggs rolls off the food carts for like $2

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I used to grab a stack of copies of the Daily Texan from the boxes on campus. Take the Gumby's coupon out, then return them to the box. 

Jester cafeteria was closed Sun night so the Gatti's was a staple. My roommate used to bring Tupperware in his backpack.

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Oh yeah!  I forgot the M. Knight twist in my story.

Fast forward (or rewind) to the early 2000's.  I'm living in Knoxville.  There's a Gatti's pretty close to where I live, which is great, because I now have a young daughter.  We visit this Gatti's weekly; usually after her soccer game.  One day, I take the time to read a placard located opposite the front counter.  Come to find out the first Gatti's was in Stephenville, TX.  Wait a minute...

When my brothers and I were young, we used to spend every summer, and most holidays, with our grandparents, who lived in Brownwood.  Most of the time, we'd meet halfway (Dallas to Brownwood) in Stephenville.  And, most of the time, we'd meet at this tiny, two-story pizza place.  I believe it was called something else (Google says "Pizza Place") when I was young.  My parents met at Tarleton and ate there occasionally while in college.  So, yeah, the original Gatti's.

Ok.  This was a way cooler story to tell to family members.  /csb

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5 hours ago, mdmost said:

Dial 459-2222 and get a Mr. Gatti's pizza delivered. Real cheese. Real hot. Real taste is what we got. Real service. Real fast. All the other pizzas are a thing of the past. So dial 459-2222. Mr. Gatti's, the best pizza in town.

Now that's some effective marketing if I can remember a spot that ran in a town I haven't lived in for over 26 years.

Amen to this.  Alternatively, some douchebag lawyer stole Pizza Hut's 444-4444.  Assmunch.

 

5 hours ago, Deej said:

Grew up in that place. Pizza, root beer and a sit-down Asteroids machine

Sheeeeit, it was PONG when I started going there.  #old

5 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I'm pretty sure Gatti's lost a shitload of money during my time on the 40.  I'm not proud of it now, but let's just say, I carried lots of aluminum foil in my backpack. On a slightly related note, is Gumby's still around?  I think the pizzas were like $2.99 or something ridiculously low when lived in Jester.  I believe they had coupons on the back page of the Daily Texan.  Sorry.  Reminiscing. 

On a related note, I was the account manager for the Mr. Gatti's 401(k) plan over 30 years ago.  Suffice it to say, those folks didn't save much, even the executives.

 

3 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I used to audit Mr Gatti's when I was in SA in the late 90s. Their HQ was in the hill country in a big house with original western art all over the place. It was strange, but cool.

/csb
 

I feel like they were HQ'd in Kerrville, if memory serves.

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1 hour ago, mdmost said:

Double Dave's?

I swear of the freshman 15 I gained, more like 20, at least 10 of those could be attributed to the buffet at Mr. Gatti's off MLK. 

My freshman 25 was a combination of beer and a large Gumby’s pizza every weekday around midnight. If I ate like that now, I would need a scooter to get around.

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5 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

I feel like they were HQ'd in Kerrville, if memory serves.

Yeah, I think you're right.  And that building (more like mansion) had one of the largest collections of western art anywhere.  It was really impressive, but shit was everywhere. Like we had to put some sculptures on the floor so we could use the desk space.

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2 hours ago, mdmost said:

Double Dave's?

I swear of the freshman 15 I gained, more like 20, at least 10 of those could be attributed to the buffet at Mr. Gatti's off MLK. 

Yes! That was it!

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1 hour ago, next2naus said:

srsly, or eggs rolls off the food carts for like $2

We were so naive back then. The only fencing I engaged in was with actual swords in Bellmont Hall.

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6 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I'm pretty sure Gatti's lost a shitload of money during my time on the 40.  I'm not proud of it now, but let's just say, I carried lots of aluminum foil in my backpack. On a slightly related note, is Gumby's still around?  I think the pizzas were like $2.99 or something ridiculously low when lived in Jester.  I believe they had coupons on the back page of the Daily Texan.  Sorry.  Reminiscing. 

I carried a mini-basket size trash bag in my backpack and filled it with a couple plates worth of pizza. Extremely proud of that

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17 minutes ago, StassneyHorn said:

I carried a mini-basket size trash bag in my backpack and filled it with a couple plates worth of pizza. Extremely proud of that

Oh yeah, the "Gallon ziplock to-go bag snuck in your backpack" was a pro move.  Did that many times.

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4 minutes ago, randomhorn said:

All the Gatti’s nostalgia feels. Did the little league post-game thing, played the arcade games, etC. 183/Balcones & Far West holla. RIP 🪦 

Cry no longer, Mr. Gatti's Far West is back, just a couple doors down from its old spot.

 

 

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The Saturday at the end of Snowmageddon a few years ago, when water and power came back on, and everyone opened back up, I had two large Gatti's pizzas delivered. They were glorious, but my standards were pretty low by that point. 

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