Jason Niswonger, co-owner and operator of Rosati’s, sits in a booth for a portrait Friday at Rosati’s in Cape Girardeau.
KASSI JACKSON
Rosati’s, Cape Girardeau’s newest eatery, will open this week in Town Plaza in a space formerly occupied by Buffalo Wild Wings.
The restaurant will offer dine-in, carryout, delivery and catering services and will feature Chicago style deep-dish pizza (as well as other pizza selections), a variety of pasta dishes, wings, appetizers, sandwiches and desserts.
“There was a real void in this area for a menu like this, especially deep-dish Chicago-style pizza,” said to Jason Niswonger, co-owner and operator of Rosati’s. The restaurant is co-owned by Frank Dietiker.
Delivery and carryout will be available beginning Tuesday night while the dining area will be open by Sunday. Rosati’s will be open at 10:30 a.m. daily and will close at 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 p.m. Sundays.
Niswonger began working in the restaurant and fast-food industry at age 16 with jobs at Burger Time (which was at the corner of Broadway and Caruthers Avenue in Cape Girardeau), Pizza Hut and McDonald’s, where he eventually held a management position. He also taught in the Oak Ridge School District and was employed by James Glass & Auto Body before pursing a Rosati’s franchise.
Jason Niswonger, co-owner and operator of Rosati’s, pours a beer from the self-serve beer wall Friday at Rosati’s in Cape Girardeau.
KASSI JACKSON
“People keep telling me about all the hours I’ll be here (at the restaurant) but I enjoy it,” he said.
Rosati’s was founded in 1964 in Mount Prospect, Illinois, by four Rosati brothers. Today, the family-owned and franchised company has more than 200 locations in about 20 states from coast to coast. The Cape Girardeau Rosati’s will have between 50 and 60 full- and part-time employees, Niswonger said.
With seating for approximately 200 customers, the Cape Girardeau location is one of the larger restaurants in the Rosati’s company, according to Rosati’s vice president of operations Noel Catarina.
“This is one of our biggest sports pubs,” Catarina said as he pointed to the dozens of flat screen monitors throughout the restaurant.
It will also be the first Rosati’s to feature a “beer wall,” a self-service beverage area. Customers age 21 and older will be able to “self pour” up to 32 ounces of domestic, imported or craft beer through the restaurant’s electronic dispensing system.
Rosati’s” as they sit and listen during training Frdiay at Rosati’s in Cape Girardeau.
KASSI JACKSON
“All of our food is handcrafted and made to order,” Caterina said. “And all of our ingredients are brought in from Chicago, which lends itself to our authenticity.”
Rosati’s delivery radius will be approximately 5 miles. Once the restaurant is open, delivery orders can by placed by calling (573) 803-5200. Niswonger said an online ordering option will be available soon.
Cocktails & Epic Fails
Reservations are still available for Cocktails & Epic Fails, a business roundtable program set for Wednesday afternoon and evening at BOLD Marketing, 1922 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau.
The program will feature nine industry leaders who will discuss failure and how it shaped their careers for the better — American Physical Association CEO Justin Moore; New York Times best-selling author and venture capitalist Josh Linkner; motivational speaker, entrepreneur and TED presenter Susan Robinson; Eastern Illinois University basketball head coach Jay Spoonhour; Mondi Group North America vice president of marketing William Kuecker; NFL Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith; Gibson Recovery Center executive director John Gary; former Southeast Missouri State University associate athletic director Cindy Gannon; and Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Mehner.
The program will begin at 4 p.m. More information and registration details can be found at cocktailsandepicfails.com.
Element 74 awarded state contracts
Element 74, a Cape Girardeau-based digital production company, recently secured contracts with the domestic violence coalitions for the states of Illinois and North Carolina, as well as the sexual assault coalitions for the states of Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
The agreements include deployment and support of Element 74’s Coalition Manager software platform that collects and reports data pertaining to domestic violence and sexual assault services on both the state and national level. Element 74 is now contracted with a total of 20 states and organizations to provide Coalition Manager software and support services.
Rooted Web launches
Recruiters websites, a Cape Girardeau-based digital agency specializing in the staffing and recruitment industry, is bringing its service to Southeast Missouri with the introduction of Rooted Web, a full-service agency dedicated to helping area businesses grow their online presence.
Company founder Jeff Gipson said Rooted web has assembled a team of experts in the area of marketing, copywriting, search engine optimization, web development and design together to focus on building online presence for their clients.
Rooted Web is headquartered in the Marquette Tower in Cape Girardeau.
“Our approach is simple,” Rooted Web sales manager Steve Gipson said. “We employ web design and marketing strategy to help develop and nurture brands and we also work to ensure every client’s project is unique.
Rooted Web is something of a “family” organization. Jeff and Steve Gipson are brothers, web manager Matt McKenzie is their cousin; marketing manager Emily Blattel is Steve’s sister-in-law. The rest of the Rooted Web staff also have Southeast Missouri roots, including several Southeast Missouri State University graduates.
People on the Move
Marybeth Niederkorn
Marybeth Niederkorn has joined Recruiters websites and Rooted Web as lead copywriter and search-engine optimization specialist. She comes to Recruiters websites/Rooted Web from the Southeast Missourian where she served as the newspaper’s business reporter.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a Master of Arts in professional writing from Southeast Missouri State University.
Christy Shawan
Christy Shawan has been named vice president of operations, Saint Francis Medical Partners Southwest for Saint Francis Healthcare System. As such, she has administrative responsibilities for Saint Francis Healthcare System’s Black River Medical Center, Kneibert Clinic, Northwest Medical Center-Operations, Physicians Park General Surgery, Physicians Park Primary Care and Immediate Convenient Care, Piedmont Physician Associates, Poplar Bluff Neurology Specialists, Poplar Bluff Pediatrics and Saint Francis Health Center–Dexter.
Shawan most recently served as chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Black River Medical Center. Prior to that, she was a senior account executive at Accenture Management Consulting.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science & Technology).
Danielle Liley-Torbet
Danielle Liley-Torbet has been named director of foundation and marketing at Saint Francis Healthcare System and is responsible for overseeing the organization’s fundraising and marketing projects.
Liley-Torbet joined Saint Francis in 2013 as a development officer for the Saint Francis Foundation and in 2017 was named senior development officer of major gifts. Before joining Saint Francis, she served as director of marketing and administrative support for Doctors Express. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration at Southeast Missouri State University.
Business licenses
The following business licenses have been recently issued by the City of Cape Girardeau:
* Anthony Acquaviva of Boca Raton, Florida, has applied for a license to operate NP Inc., a residential mortgage loan office, at 121 South Broadview St., Suite 6. The business was scheduled to open April 4.
* Jamaal Carter of Jackson has applied for a license to operate The Barn, a “family fun facility,” at 731 Broadway. The business was scheduled to open April 4.
* Thomas Dawson of Jackson has applied for a license to operate Simply Swirled, a frozen yogurt shop, at 274 South Mount Auburn Road. The business was scheduled to open April 18.
* Oralia Garcia of Cape Girardeau has applied for a license to operate Morisco’s El Barco, a restaurant, at 1001 Broadway. The business is scheduled to open May 1.