I pulled into Fazoli’s and discovered a crew of landscapers shoveling fresh red cedar chips onto the beds that edged the store. New shrubs had been planted; trees had been trimmed.
“Twenty years of growth; it was time for some new landscaping,” said director of operations Ken Szostek, who has been in the Fazoli’s business for 22 years, which reminds him… Soon, local Fazoli’s locations will be celebrating a multi-decade anniversary.
“The details are to be announced,” he told me. “It’ll start sometime late spring. You can quote me as saying, ‘It’ll be a big event. A good event.’ I always get creative.”
Indeed he does. In the time I have known Ken, I have sampled dozens of his culinary inventions, which we like to call “Ken-coctions.” He is as enthusiastic about Fazoli’s menu as he is spry. His energy, one can only assume, must come from the kitchen.
This spring there are more ways to fuel yourself at Fazoli’s with a number of new seasonal promotions. For starters, its strawberry and feta salad is back. There is also the spanking-new pizza-pasta sampler comprising a half order of fettuccine Alfredo, a half order of spaghetti with meat sauce and a slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza, all for $3.99.
Every Monday-Friday until 2:30 p.m., you can take advantage of the lunch special, which lets you choose two of the following options: spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli,
meat lasagna, penne, pizza slice or side salad. The special also includes a drink, all for $5.
I glanced at the booth behind ours. There, a little girl in a tutu and her mother were sharing two plates of pasta: one spaghetti with marinara and one fettuccine with
Alfredo sauce. That unmistakable fresh-baked Italian fragrance wafted over to the table where Ken and I sat. Ken took a sip of his lemonade, then peered over his shoulder at the order counter. We were both getting hungry. And Ken had better eat up – he’s got a lot of work to do in the coming weeks.
Every Easter, Fazoli’s stuffs tens of thousands of Easter eggs for local scavenger hunts. Each egg contains one coupon for a free a kid’s meal with no purchase necessary. While Easter marks the official-unofficial start of spring, at Fazoli’s it also foreshadows much more to come.
In addition to limited-time dishes and deals, Fazoli’s is now offering tickets to J-Fest, Chattanooga’s annual Christian music festival. To find out more about the event, the egg hunts, or Fazoli’s dishes, you can call the Chattanooga location, or stop by. The lawn is manicured and the menu is stocked with more energy than ever.