By Ben Coley
Mr Gatti’s Pizza announced Wednesday that it sold a majority stake to Dallas-based OneRyan Global LLC, the family office of businessman and philanthropist G. Brint Ryan. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Mr Gatti’s, also based in Texas, is a pizza buffet chain known for its family entertainment centers with arcade rooms and smaller delivery and carryout restaurants. A news release in October said the chain has more than 234 locations open or in development across Texas and the Southeast.
OneRyan has been part of the franchise organization since 2022, operating multiple family entertainment centers. In September, Mr Gatti’s announced that OneRyan acquired a minority stake. A month later, the restaurant company revealed that OneRyan bought its “crown-jewel corporate-owned location” in Austin’s Southpark Meadows shopping center. The transaction officially made Mr Gatti’s a 100 percent franchised system.
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Then, on November 1, OneRyan opened another family entertainment center in Big Spring, Texas, where Brint Ryan grew up.
As part of the transaction, Mr Gatti’s CEO Jim Phillips and CFO KC Mann will remain in their roles, as will other members of senior management. Brint Ryan will serve as chairman while his wife Amanda S. Ryan will be vice chairwoman of the Board of Managers.
Mr Gatti’s headquarters will stay in Fort Worth.
It should be noted that, for a smaller pizza chain, Mr Gatti’s has been experiencing significant growth. Both 2023 and 2024 were boom years for the company. It inked 16 new franchise agreements in six months alone in 2023 and closed out 2024 with 39 new deals. It now has more than a dozen locations inside Walmart stores. Last year Mr Gatti’s transitioned to a 100% franchise-owned system.
Brint and Amanda Ryan are among the most well-known philanthropists in Texas, with major donations to education, healthcare and community revitalization.
“Our deep appreciation for the Mr. Gatti’s brand, combined with our firsthand experience operating locations across multiple markets, made this acquisition a natural and exciting opportunity,” OneRyan CEO Amanda Ryan said in a statement. “Mr. Gatti’s has built a category-leading platform in dining and family entertainment, supported by an exceptional network of franchisees. We look forward to helping the brand continue to grow and thrive.”
Phillips, who has served as CEO for several years, described Brint as “an exceptional leader with enormous respect for the heritage of Mr. Gatti’s.”
“He brings a compelling vision for the brand’s future, along with the expertise needed to help us reach our full potential,” Phillips said in a statement. “We are excited to have his leadership both as an owner-operator and as Chairman as we enter this next phase of growth.”
The brand was founded in 1964 as The Pizza Place by James Eure. In 1969, after relocating to Austin, Eure rebranded it as Mr Gatti’s—a tribute to his wife’s maiden name.
Ben Coley is editor of QSR magazine. This story originally appeared on the website of QSR magazine, sister publication to PMQ Pizza.
