It is traditional college not your thing? Aren't you mechanically inclined, then? technical school is it out Do you have an unbeatable work ethic? You may want to consider University of Rosatan approximately four-year paid training program designed to allow prospective Rosati's Pizza franchisees to learn how to operate a Rosati's Pizza location and eventually become a the owners of a franchise.
“Instead of someone coming in and just learning how to make pizza, we want them to learn the whole business,” says Jay Rosati, the great-grandson of one of the founders and the brand's head of career development.
Interested in learning more? Explore Rosati's Pizza franchise ownership today.
Finding leaders
Founded in 1964 in the Chicago area and franchising since 2006, Pizza Rosati has nearly 125 locations in the US. Jay Rosati, who worked in the trucking brokerage industry after graduation, saw the family business struggle to identify good franchise candidates as he grew up.
In April 2023, Rosati formulated a plan to identify, train and INCENTIVE the best workers the company could find. The idea of Rosat University, which the company had laid out but had never developed, became a reality. Initially, Rosati wanted to go to job fairs and colleges recruit for the unique program, but his father, the CEO of Rosati's Pizza, had other ideas.
“He told me that I had to go to high school,” says Rosati. He adds that it makes sense because the company is looking for young people they don't necessarily have experience or money, but you have a burning desire to build and succeed. The curriculum of Rosat University follows a basic, approximately four-year plan.
Basic training
Like the army, Rosat's five-week “base”. training” The program teaches candidates to be ideal employees from the bottom up. It also allows the company and the candidate to feel each other out to see if there is a true fit. This paid training includes everything from order entry to order creation, while candidates learn Cela principle working for the brand in one of Rosati's corporate stores.
“We put them through the juicer,” says Rosati. “They go through every aspect of what it's like to work at Rosati, 40 hours a week, one week at a time, to see where they are.”
University of Rosat
After basic training, candidates enter University of Rosat, where they attend paid classes divided into eight 12-week increments that cover the basics of business operations. Core courses include accounting, operations, and other business-focused classes. Candidates are paired with mentors and required to take an exam at the end of each 12-week unit to move on to the next.
“For the first six weeks, you're paired with someone like me who gives you knowledge and skills,” says Rosati. “The next six, you'll do it yourself, under supervision.”
By the time candidates graduate from Rosati University, they are expected to have a certain level of expertise, says Rosati. “We expect them to be a core worker who can do everything in a store. We can call them in for a shift to fill any role, anywhere, and they can do it all day, unsupervised.”
As an additional incentive, candidates receive a salary increase of $.25 per hour for each course they complete.
Management training
After successfully completing the initial two years of the course, candidates begin another two years management training. Although all aspects of training are important, management training is where candidates learn to run their own Rosati's Pizza franchise. During this part of the program, candidates work at corporate headquarters and learn high-level skills such as marketing, accounting and finance.
During this phase, candidates also work as assistant managers in a store under experienced general managers.
“We train them to be not only managers—hiring, firing, scheduling, making sure all the products are right,” Rosati says, “but also owners—learning how to do job reports, learn how to understand the finances and market research of your trading area, etc.”
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property
After completing the Rosati University program, graduates are eligible for consideration part of the property in the exclusivity of a Rosati, using special FInanCInG provided by the company. This method allows the new owner to pay their share of the business while working and receiving a salary from their Rosati location.
Rosati hopes the enthusiasm he's seen so far continues — about 10 candidates are in various stages of the program, despite it being less than a year old. Provided it continues to attract the right candidates, he expects Rosati University to continue to grow – with the same ultimate goal in mind.
“All of this is leading them to be business owners,” Rosati says. “So we're repeating over and over that you're not just a pizza maker, you're not just a general manager, you're going to be an owner.”