The Tomato opened in the early '80s, actually as "The Flying Tomato", a franchisee of a chain. The chain didn't survive, but the Denton location did. There were two things that made it successful:
- The location, and the unique loft 2nd level, made it a great student hangout. Just before it was the Tomato, the building was a Rock & Roll club named Crossroads, and I didn't know anyone who actually went there. It was completely brick, with no windows. The Tomato renovation was incredible, and immediately drew in a crowd.
- The Tomato was the only place in Texas to get a Giordano's-style (Chicago) stuffed pizza. NOT deep dish - stuffed. Especially a spinach & mushroom stuffed pizza. A High School friend of mine went to Northwestern (Evanston IL, just north of Chicago), and I had experienced Giordano's when visiting him in 1980. While the Tomato undoubtedly wasn't nearly as good, there was no other place to get a stuffed pizza. I went back at least once every football season until it burned down, even though the service really was awful at the end.
So the question is, is there enough demand in Sanger for stuffed pizza for the Tomato to be successful there? Because there's no way that they'll draw the students to Sanger.