Could your next trip to an Oklahoma State Park involve some cheap and nasty pizza?
Thanks to a tip via the Ogle Mole Network, we’ve learned that famed Oklahoma BBQ grifter Brent Swadley – the man being investigated for fraud charges over his role in the Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Swindle – is apparently getting involved in the pizza entertainment business.
According to this FB post, it looks like Swadley is opening some Mr. Gatti's Pizza franchises in the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri markets.
Check this out:
That’s nice.
I should probably point out that right as Swadley is getting involved in the pizza business, Oklahoma State Parks are looking for new restaurants to fill the now-vacant Swadley’s Foggy Bottom locations that were closed down because the state claimed Swadley engaged in fraudulent business practices.
I don’t know if Swadley and Stitt cronies are going to try to get Mr. Gatti’s to fill those empty spots, but for the sake of the pizza chain and any of Swadley’s business partners, let’s hope Swadley gets better deals for pizza ovens than he did the BBQ smokers he purchased on the Oklahoma taxpayers’ dime!
Mr. Gatti’s – which appears to be like a Chuck E. Cheese minus the creepy mouse – does have some loose connections to Oklahoma.
I guess there were a few forgettable locations here in the 1980s. Then, for a brief moment in the 2010s, the brand returned when Incredible Pizza in Warr Acres operated under the “GattiTown” moniker. In fact, it was actually one of the first places Louis reviewed for The Lost Ogle way back in 2014:
The pizza was wonderfully terrible, with flavors reminiscent of CiCi’s, but with a thicker crust. The pepp and saus were decent enough, but the BBQ pizza was downright inedible. It tasted like they substituted Bullseye with bullcrap.
Getting up for a second sampling, aiming to try out the baked potato and pasta, I immediately locked eyes with a perfectly nice Latina woman who had a couple of tiger claw tattoos on her ample bosom. As we walked the line together, she started talking about her children, and about how, for single parents, that GattiTown is actually a great value. The conversation, however, took a turn when she asked about my kids, and I replied that not only do I not have any, but that I am just up here, hanging out and enjoying dinner, by myself.
As she glared at me like I was some sort of pervy creep, I immediately realized that I should have made up a story that this was my child’s favorite place in the world, but he died two years ago and today was his birthday. I seriously would have been sinking deep into her well-worn mommy-loins that evening if only I had been quicker on my feet.
For what it’s worth, I’ve never tried Mr. Gatti’s pizza and probably never will. I also know nothing about their expansion plans or business model, but… when you’re desperate enough to partner with a high-profile grifter who’s under investigation by the Oklahoma Attorney General for fraudulent business practices and “possible” criminal activity, it does make me question the long-term viability of their business model.
Anyway, I guess we’ll keep this story on our radar, follow it as any developments come through, and have Louis on stand-by for an emergency Mr. Gatti’s pizza review.
If you’re bored and want a refresher on the Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Swindle, you can look into all that here.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
