Sacco's offers new flavors from 1,000-degree oven

Coal-fired Sacco's plans to draw customers from Quad-Cities region

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Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Kitchen’s distinctions will hit customers of the Quad Cities’ newest restaurant the moment they walk through the door.

A huge coal-fired oven is at the center of a dining room kitchen, where customers can see steaks, salmon, burgers, pizza and all hot menu items prepared in the open.

Fifteen draft beer taps will feature a revolving array of flavors, with three set aside for Bent River brews. That includes a new Sacco’s label the restaurant will offer at all of its locations.

Garlic rotoli bread knots and meatball lollipops top an appetizer menu. Specialty pizzas include an Aloha, with pineapple (no sauerkraut), Greek, with red onions and spinach, and The Boss, with sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham and meatballs.

That pizza will look and taste much different than the more familiar brand next door.

The restaurant that once held Lancers, and 350 Grille at 350 E. LeClaire Road, is aiming for a Dec. 14 opening.

Tom Sacco is the CEO of the Bettendorf-based company operating Tony Sacco’s, and its next-door neighbor, Happy Joe’s. Sacco says the dining experiences are entirely different.

“The closest thing to Sacco’s in the Quad Cities now might be The Tanglewood,” he said.

Sacco’s aims for date nights, meet-ups with friends, and special occasions.

Sacco’s kids’ menu accommodates families, but the new restaurant will not duplicate  the family dining experience that is the foundation of Happy Joe’s business.

“Happy Joe wrote the book on family dining. It’s a strong brand that no one can beat. This is a much more an adult dining experience,” Sacco said.

In other communities, Sacco’s favored suburban locations. Sacco’s is a staple in Mentor, Ohio, just north of Cleveland; Granger, Ind., near South Bend; Estero, Fla., near Fort Myers, and Hartland, Mich., northwest of Detroit.

So far, Sacco’s sticks with just one outlet in each market.

Tom Sacco said the Quad Cities would not have been on the Sacco’s map.

“The Quad Cities is a great pizza market. We have so many different concepts in this area, and the king, Happy Joe’s, has been here 48 years,” he said.

“We’re more of a suburban, higher-end concept, from a culinary standpoint. Because our headquarters is here, we bring potential franchisees to town. We wanted to be able to show them all of our concepts,” he said.

Tony Sacco’s will draw from the two-state Quad-Cities region, and not rely on Eldridge customers alone. He expects far more than half of its customers will be arriving off U.S. 61.

“People travel for this experience,” Sacco said. “It’s something they can’t get in their hometowns.”

Sacco deployed company chef Chris Anschutz to open the Eldridge location. Anschutz, of Pittsburgh, has worked with Tom Sacco for 14 years.

“This is our third company together. I believe in his vision. I drink his Kool-Aid. I’ve seen how he thinks, what he plans, and I know he sees it through,” Anschutz said.

He’s assembling a staff of about 30 for the opening, and expects it to grow to as many as 50 when pandemic restrictions lift and people feel more comfortable dining out.

Performers wanted

Anschutz said he’s not looking for “help.” He’s looking for performers.

“We want talented entertainers who are comfortable interacting with customers. Our team is out in front of customers all day. They’ve got to be engaging,” he said.

The coal-fired oven is a featured performer. Diners will see flames from a constantly burning bed of anthracite coal shipped from Hershey, Pa. Staff shovel coal in the morning and again before dinner to stoke the fire.

The 1,000-degree heat cooks a pizza in under four minutes. Anschutz said the coal fire adds a distinctive flavor that doesn’t overpower the food.

“We don’t have a fryer, or any other oven. Everything is cooked in there,” he said.

The Eldridge restaurant coal oven served another restaurant before arriving here. City of Eldridge building permits list electrical and mechanical installation costs at over $50,000.

Tom Sacco said menu items are made fresh, on-site daily. That includes bread and pizza dough, salads, and soups, including their Italian onion soup.

“It’s what the general public might consider French onion soup. We have the caramelized onions, but with roasted garlic – lots of roasted garlic – and a splash of red wine.”

Sacco is of Italian heritage and shares a name with the restaurant, but he’s not related.

Happy Joe’s sold a majority share to Dynamic Restaurant Holdings, LLC, in 2017.

DRH hired Sacco in October.

Sacco said his new job as Chief Happiness Officer brings him back to the Midwest.

“Back in the 1980s, I was involved with the expansion of Bonanza in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota. I loved it,” he said.

Sacco was CEO of Homestyle Dining LLC, which owned and operated Ponderosa Steakhouse, Bonanza Steak & BBQ and Bo’s Steak & Grill brands.

Restaurant Business Online reports that Sacco was, “instrumental in the national expansion of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shoppes.”

Tony Sacco’s was a Florida-based chain when DRH bought it and moved the headquarters to Bettendorf.

Sacco said the most apparent similarity among the two restaurants – perhaps the only one – is a strong focus on customers and franchisees. Both businesses avoided chasing restaurant trends, and stuck with menus responsible for their initial successes.

He said both chains are weathering pandemic restrictions. Happy Joe’s had well-developed carry-out and delivery operations that helped offset the loss of dining room business. That experience is helping both chains through the pandemic, he said.

He likens the two restaurants to Volkswagens and BMWs. “They’re both German cars, but they’re very different experiences. People don’t get them mixed up,” he said.

Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Kitchen, Lancers Grill, Grille 350, Tom Sacco, Happy Joe's, Chris Anschultz, Dynamic Restaurant Holdings

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