Boston chain launches locally at the Fiesta

Phil Levine

Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999 | 11:15 a.m.

The Fiesta hotel-casino is likely the first of many stops in Pizzeria Regina's cross-country expansion.

The pizzeria's parent company, Boston-based Boston Restaurant Associates Inc., last week opened its first Western franchise at the North Las Vegas hotel.

However, BRA Chief Executive Officer George Chapdelaine said the Fiesta eatery will likely be only the first of multiple new locations west of the Mississippi.

"Although we don't have any sites specifically chosen as of yet, we see Las Vegas -- and other select Western cities -- as markets well-suited to our brand," he said. "One of the things we particularly like about Las Vegas -- and Los Angeles -- is there's a lot of East Coast transplants living there. Those are people very familiar with our product."

In the Eastern United States, BRA owns 14 Pizzeria Reginas and one Polcari restaurant; most of its stores are located in the New England area.

Chapdelaine said Fiesta owner George Maloof had "the option of first rights" for the future Las Vegas use of the Pizzeria Regina brand.

Maloof could not be reached for comment. However, a Fiesta spokeswoman said the agreement with BRA was written to ensure Maloof's approval -- or involvement -- in any future local expansion of the pizzeria franchise.

For his part, Chapdelaine said the agreement with the Fiesta didn't preclude future BRA expansion in the area. He said the Las Vegas market is attractive to his company, especially given the "impressive public response" to the Las Vegas opening.

"It's really been a barn-burner since it opened, and we've been shipping truckloads of dough (from Boston) to accommodate demand," he said. "If future (Western) expansion takes place, we'd hope to set up distribution channels for that region."

Chapdelaine said he's also held initial discussions about opening new franchises with representatives of the Rouse Co., owner of Las Vegas' Fashion Show Mall and developer of a regional mall in Summerlin in conjunction with its subsidiary the Howard Hughes Corp.

A Rouse spokeswoman declined to comment on any negotiations with BRA.