Gatti’s Franchisee Perseveres After a Flood Destroys His Restaurant

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When this Louisiana franchisee’s restaurant is destroyed by a massive flood, he embarks on a five-month journey to save his business.

By Radim Dragomaca
 
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Being a small-business owner is hard. You’ve got to make payroll every month, keep your customers happy and coming back, and there will always be some variables beyond your control. Now imagine that one of those variables is a raging river, three-and-a-half feet deep, running through your business. That’s just what happened to Philip Moody, a Gatti’s Pizza franchisee from Denham Springs, La. With his family, franchise network, community and an indomitable drive to persevere on his side, he set out on a five-month journey of rebuilding. 

 
Phil has been in franchising for a few decades, entering the restaurant business right out of college and joining the Gatti’s Pizza franchise family shortly thereafter. Phil’s cousins owned some Gatti’s locations in the area and that family connection combined with the high satisfaction with the franchisor made this brand the perfect choice for Phil. In 25 years of owning Gatti’s pizzerias, Phil never expected to be facing this kind of a challenge. 
 
“It’s sort of a like a nightmare, when something like this happens. You’re used to watching disasters like this — floods, tornados —  unfolding on TV, happening to other people, and you never think it could happen to you,” Phil said. The flood came on suddenly and without much warning. Within 36 hours, over 30 inches of rain had fallen on the Baton Rouge area. Phil and his family, being stranded indoors by the flood, were glued to their television sets, anxiously watching footage coming in from helicopters flying over the flooded downtown. When he saw boats going past his restaurant on the main street instead of cars, Phil knew that he was in for a rebuilding challenge of a lifetime.
 
Three days later, when the water finally subsided and Phil was able to reach his restaurant, he found it in ruin. One of the walls was largely caved in, large butcher block tables were strewn about and everything was drenched in mud, debris and over 60 pounds of dissolved flour. In those first heartbreaking hours and days, Phil and his family set about dismantling the place, throwing everything out. Nothing could be salvaged. They braced themselves for what they figured would be two months of hard work, rebuilding the place from the ground up. The work ended up taking nearly half a year.  Looking for some silver linings, Phil recalls that “[I] got to know every piece of wood in the building, and it gave us a chance to make some upgrades, to make sure that when we reopened, the restaurant would be better than before.” 
 
Phil, his family and team worked around the clock on many days, in 100 degree temperatures. Beyond a labor of necessity, it turned into a labor of love. Phil says “we never considered giving up on the location,” a sentiment that many small-business owners and family business owners will understand. After what Phil says were the five longest months of his life, the work and emotion that he poured into rebuilding this business has earned it a special place in his heart.  
 
The Gatti’s franchise family also came through in their support for Phil in the days and months after the flood. Gatti’s President Michael Poates reached out right away, and many of Phil’s fellow franchisees did as well. The community also came together in support of the restaurant. Phil’s hard work was rewarded when following the re-opening of the restaurant, sales nearly doubled. Phil and the business have been doing well since, and their story goes to show how a single franchisee with a 25-year dedication to his small business can bring it back from destruction, and have it become a success story and a rallying point for a community that’s bouncing back.  
 
Radim Dragomaca is the Associate Editor of Franchising World and Publishing and International Affairs Associate for the International Franchise Association.

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