Spinato’s Pizzeria & Family Kitchen has a lot to celebrate this fall. Spinato’s was just named as the “Official Pizza of the Arizona Cardinals,” after inking a deal with the NFL team to serve its fresh, delicious pizza at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Equally as impressive is that the celebrated local chain is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
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Spinato’s: Coming in hot to a stadium near you!
CEO of Spinato’s, Anthony Spinato, has been involved in the family business for more than 43 years and to see it grow and become so beloved to Arizona is an admirable milestone.
“I’ve got to stop and think about this sometimes, and just really, really try and appreciate it,” Spinato says. “You’ve just got to realize it’s incredible… a real blessing.”
Adds Wade Martin, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for Arizona Cardinals, “We are thrilled to announce Spinato’s as the Official Pizza of the Arizona Cardinals and to welcome the Spinato’s family as our Proud Partner. Bringing in beloved, local food and beverage companies is important to us, and I couldn’t think of a better representation of that than Spinato’s. We are excited for our fans to enjoy delicious, locally owned pizza on game days this season.”
Giving fans what they want
Fans of Spinato’s have repeatedly relayed to the family that a location was needed in the West Valley. “We opened the Scottsdale store off of the 101 and [fans] were super mad. Then we opened the Gilbert store, and they were just on fire!” Spinato says.
But The Arizona Cardinals partnership has been a game changer. Now serving up several signature items at its Glendale location at State Farm Stadium, Spinato’s fans now finally have their long-awaited location in the West Valley.
“Wherever we go, one of the things we always try and do is understand the community — what it feels like to live there, and what kind of vibe it gives you,” Spinato explains. “Keeping engaged with the community is important and the Spinato family continuously demonstrates its commitment to quality, value and being a vibrant example of an excellent Arizona business.”
Spinato’s is now serving: a hearty Italian Beef Sandwich, a Caesar Salad with or without chicken, Cheesy Garlic Bread with marinara, and decadent brownie bite desserts at four concession stands during Cardinals’ home games and at other stadium events. Spinato’s has also collaborated with Phoenix-based Cactus Corn to offer a unique “Mamma’s Signature” pizza-flavored popcorn that features a spinach spice and sweet tomato flavor. Two additional flavors of Cactus Corn will also be introduced soon.
‘The Red Zone’ pizza collaboration (Go Cardinals!)
Spinato’s and the Cardinals have launched a new collaboration pizza at all six Spinato’s locations. “The Red Zone” pizza is made with Spinato’s signature sauce, Canadian bacon, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, mozzarella and spinach spice.
“The Canadian bacon and roasted red bell peppers bring a red element to the pizza, while the pepperoncini bring a little spice for our Arizona heat,” Spinato explains.
At State Farm Stadium, the price of an eight-inch “The Red Zone” pizza will be $15.50. Fans can also purchase an eight-inch cheese pizza for $13.50 or an eight-inch pepperoni pizza for $14.50. This represents great value for an excellent quality pizza that is made locally and supports the local economy.
Fresh pizza and higher demand
Spinato said his team rolls out fresh dough every morning for all restaurants and concessions. The new partnership has created nearly 50 new jobs, both at Spinato’s Pizzeria & Family Kitchen and in the stadium concession stands.
It’s estimated that the new Spinato’s in State Farm Stadium will serve double the number of pizzas that it’s currently serving at Footprint Center. New team members have been hired and upgrades have been made to its family kitchen to keep up with the demand.
“Our new team members will help us create more pizza dough and sauce and distribute them to the stadium,” Spinato says. “We also had to upgrade our family kitchen to ensure we can keep up with the demand.”
New Spinato’s promotions to be announced soon
To celebrate their new partnership, Spinato’s will also introduce new specials and promotions and have their TVs turned on to football games during the NFL season. The restaurants will now open an hour earlier at 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Spinato’s is best known for serving classic Chicago-style pizza with a signature sweet sauce. The family-friendly restaurant offers a diverse menu, with everything from Chicago-style pizza and sandwiches, robust pastas and spaghetti-stuffed calzones to gluten-free options, fresh signature salads and Spinato’s famous home-made Italian desserts.
“The Arizona Cardinals have been so welcoming, and we’re thrilled about this partnership,” Spinato says. “In addition, over the years, we have received many requests to expand into the West Valley, and now that we’ve taken this step, we’ll be exploring our options to open a seventh restaurant at some point soon.”
Learn more and see weekly specials and new craft cocktails at SpinatosPizzeria.com.