Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

“It shaped the perceptions of red sauce in Middle America,” especially in places where there weren’t huge pockets of Italian immigrants, says Tim Alevizos, a Minneapolis-based consultant who oversaw Buca’s branding. “As the original red sauce joints were dying off, Buca was the introduction to that type of Italian” and many people’s first tastes of frutti di mare and eggplant parm. Micatrotto wanted to de-emphasize the kitsch and infuse his Italian immigrant family’s story into Buca’s branding.

Source: www.bonappetit.com