L.A. Italian Kitchen founder, Joseph De Santis began his career in the restaurant-food service industry at the ripe age of nine years old. While growing up, Joe’s father would take him to work at one of the family’s pizza places, Pizza Pete’s, on the weekends.

As a young man, Joe embraced the challenge and opportunity to work and learn about the restaurant business. By age sixteen, Joe was the manager of one of the larger sales volume Pizza Pete’s restaurants located in Santa Ana, California.

Like his grandparents, Joe looks to the future for growth with a fresh concept, and to serve high quality, quick service Italian food. He branched out and opened the first “L.A. Italian Kitchen” restaurant in 1991 at the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside, California. Joe, being a Los Angeles native, created the name L.A. Italian Kitchen as a reflection of his Italian heritage.

He went on to expand the DeSantis Restaurant Concepts portfolio with the addition of two FatBurger franchise locations in 2011. In 2013, Joe opened his first Social Life Pizza restaurant in San Diego, CA. Today, the DeSantis Restaurant Concepts restaurant brands consists of L.A. Italian Kitchen, FatBurger, and Social Life Pizza.

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