Several pizzas under warming lamp in restaurant buffet.

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If you're desperately pondering what pizza buffets still exist today, let us introduce you to Mr. Gatti's Pizza. Along with its selection of pies, the restaurant features a fully packed pasta and salad bar. It also houses a game room with arcade games and prizes. Mr. Gatti's might sound like paradise for kids (and kids at heart), but the chain has been on a downturn since its heyday in the '80s and '90s.

Buffets have seen ebbs and flows in popularity over the years, and that could explain why Mr. Gatti's isn't commanding the same volume of customers as it used to. It's also largely limited to the Southeastern portion of the U.S., with just over 90 locations as of 2024. That makes the restaurant inaccessible to many consumers who might be interested in its mix of pizza, pasta, and games.

While it's facing obstacles, Mr. Gatti's has maintained steady business for nearly six decades. The chain opened in 1969 and got its name from founder James Eure's wife, whose maiden name was Gatti.

What's next for Mr Gatti's Pizza?

Mr. Gatti's dip in popularity isn't the first time the business has faced trouble, but the chain has proven resilient. Despite a 2019 bankruptcy filing and the challenging operating environment it faced during the pandemic, the brand came back stronger than ever, adding new locations and experiencing a major sales boost in 2023. The following year, Mr. Gatti's partnered with Walmart to establish restaurant locations inside stores (which we covered in our discussion of once-struggling buffet chains making a comeback). An investment firm also acquired the chain in 2026, though Mr. Gatti's management team is still at the helm.

The restaurant industry is tough for lots of establishments these days, but Mr. Gatti's Pizza has a secret weapon: Its nostalgia factor. In a Reddit thread titled "I miss Mr. Gatti's Pizza," the poster wrote, "I came across a Mr. Gatti's Pizza! I had no idea they still existed. It tasted exactly how I remembered ... it was magical." Elsewhere on Reddit, a commenter explained, "Mr. Gatti's was the s*** down in San Antonio when our kids were younger. The pizza AND games were better than CiCis or Chuck E. Cheese by a mile."