Saturday, May 10, 1997

Joining faith and the pizza business

By DOUG WILLIAMSON / Abilene Reporter-News

In Abilene, Mr. Gatti's is a visible example of religion in the business world.

The pizza restaurant-entertainment center at South 27th and Buffalo Gap Road lives its owner's religious beliefs.

Owner Rick Barsness took his Christian faith and melded it with his business sense.

Mr. Gatti's managers spent five days in the Colorado mountains developing a Christian mission statement for their business.

"It says that we are going to run our business around God's principles," said Larry Abbe, local manger. "We also developed a set of family values under which to lead our employees."

Barsness trains his managers in servant management.

"Authoritative management says, 'Look, you are going to do this or I'm going to fire you.' Servant management says, 'We've got a problem here in this area, what can I do to help you? Is there something I can do to train you or help you?'," he said in an interview with the Reporter-News three years ago.

Barsness said the training has helped to keep turnover low and "Our people love us more. The business thrives on that."

He takes his managers to a major event of Promise Keepers each year.

Abbe said the managers have a special relationship with Barsness.

"I can pick up the phone to talk to my owner about the business, about personal matters, about physical matters and about spiritual matters," he said.

At the restaurant, it's not just training, it's action.

Mr. Gatti's large electronic sign displays daily Bible verses. The eatery has gotten much more praise for the Scriptures than ire, said Larry Abbe, general manager.

Customers can get a free drink Sundays if they bring in their church bulletin.

On the way out of the restaurant, there is a tract rack so that patrons may pick up religious reading materials.

Mr. Gatti's tithes.

"We give 10 percent of what we make back into the community," Abbe said. "Our tithe fund is generally used for low-income people and local churches that are really in need of help."

Barsness said, "We are a Christian company, so any way we feel that the Lord would have us invest those dollars, they will go right back into Abilene."

Church youth groups can participate in fund raisers, Abbe said. They sell pizza buffet tickets for $6 and keep two of those dollars for their project.