Kevin Wratni, owner of Big Deal Pizzeria, was happy, driven
Kevin Wratni started in the pizza business as raw as a ball of dough.
“There were a lot of us who doubted him,” said longtime friend John Follaco. “I lived with him at one point. I said, ‘You don’t know how to make macaroni and cheese. How are you going to run a pizza business?’
“He was one of the smartest guys I’ve met.”
Wratni, 28, of Rochester, was found unresponsive by employees at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the back office of his shop, Big Deal Pizzeria, 475 Monroe Ave.
Police on Monday still were investigating the death as suspicious. Rochester Police Chief David Moore said Sunday at the scene, “There is nothing very obvious in terms of cause of death.”
Follaco knew Wratni from the time they were kids on a CYO basketball team. He said that his friend always wanted to be his own boss, and even though he didn’t know anything about the pizza business, he knew an opportunity.
“He loved good food, he loved to eat,” Follaco said. “He said, ‘This is my chance. I want to do this.’” Wratni had a friend who had a pizza shop and pumped him for information. He opened Big Deal Pizzeria in 2009.
The name came from his fondness for a Ron Burgundy line in the movie Anchorman.
“When it came time to name the pizza shop, ‘big deal’ just jumped out at everyone. He loved to have a good time. He referred to all of us as ‘big deal.’”
Wratni grew up in Irondequoit, graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2005 and found his home in the city. The pizzeria wasn’t far from his place in the Park Avenue neighborhood.
“He wanted to live his whole life in a three-mile radius,” Follaco said. “He said he’ll be happy if he never had to leave this area.”
Family and friends helped to renovate the building that housed Big Deal Pizzeria and family still were involved, said younger brother Brian Wratni. His parents helped out in the shop, and Brian left Monroe Community College to work for him.
“Everyone who went in there called my mom, ‘Mom’ and my dad ‘Pops,’” said Brian Wratni. He said Wratni had plans to expand with pizza shops for Brian and another younger brother, Scott. “He was motivated, happy, always driven,” Brian Wratni said. “He was really smart. Me and my brother looked up to him.” Wratni lived to be with family and friends, Follaco said. He would hold tastings for a dozen or so friends, trying out different sauces and toppings. “He was intent on finding something everyone liked.”
Many of their longtime friends were back in town over the holidays, which Wratni found bittersweet. He was glad they were together but bummed that they’d be scattering again. “We’ve got the greatest friends,’” Follaco recalled him saying. “We’re growing up and everyone’s moving and have their lives.’ He just wished everyone would be together.”
Wratni wasn’t a huge college football fan, but he knew that Follaco loved Notre Dame and always wanted to see a game in Indiana. “He told me in 2006, ‘Let’s just go. I know it’s a lot of money. You’ve wanted to do this forever, so let’s go.’
“We told each other it would be a once-in-lifetime deal,” Follaco said. “He said, ‘You know we’re doing this every year for the rest of our lives.’”
The group grew from just the two of them to 12 last fall. A few days ago, Follaco called Wratni and told him he scored tickets for the Sept. 25 game against Stanford, and got a deal on a hotel.
Follaco seemed to be smiling when he said, “There’s nothing Kevin liked more than a good deal.”
