蜜芽传媒

In January of 2013, the restaurateur Michael Garozzo went to dinner with a buddy. But as they pulled into a parking lot, Garozzo got a call 鈥� the new coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, hired two days prior, had walked into his restaurant.

So Garozzo headed to Garozzo鈥檚.

鈥淚 gave him half the menu,鈥� Garozzo said of Andy Reid, 鈥渁nd he cleaned every bite of it. I mean, he鈥檚 All-Pro with the fork and knife.鈥�

It was the beginning of a beautiful (and delectable) friendship.

Garozzo, 69, is a 蜜芽传媒 native, raised on The Hill, where the boy was a busboy. His father, Salvatore, and his uncle, Alfio, were waiters. Garozzo ultimately worked at the original Tony鈥檚 location, where his mentor was the legendary restaurateur Vince Bommarito (鈥淚 learned more from him than all the other guys I worked with combined,鈥� Garozzo said).

Garozzo moved to Kansas City to help a cousin with a restaurant 鈥� and Garozzo soon fell in love with a woman named Maggie (鈥淚 got hit by the thunderbolt鈥�). He stayed across the state and, in 1989, opened Garozzo鈥檚. And that鈥檚 where, over the past 12 years, he鈥檚 spent numerous evenings with his 鈥済reat friend鈥� Andy.

Now, Reid is known for being a laser-focused football workaholic. But Reid鈥檚 other pastime is pasta 鈥� and so many other meals on the menu at perhaps his favorite restaurant. The Chiefs play Sunday in their seventh consecutive conference championship game. Few people outside of football know Reid better than Garozzo does. By phone Wednesday, he provided a little appetizer, some insight into what makes Reid succeed. And listening to the descriptions, it sure sounds like Reid鈥檚 Chiefs have a culture similar to that of a big, happy Italian family.

鈥淭he players just worship him,鈥� Garozzo said. 鈥淎nd he treats them like family. And that鈥檚 what they鈥檝e created here. ... I asked Andy, 鈥楬ow much longer are you going to keep doing this?鈥� He鈥檚 66. I know it鈥檚 a lot of hours and physically demanding. And he told me, 鈥楢s long as (general manager) Brent Veach keeps finding me players like this to coach!鈥欌��

So much is made about Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce that I sometimes wonder if Reid gets a little overlooked. I hope all of 蜜芽传媒 (including those who are not on the red-and-yellow bandwagon) realize Reid鈥檚 greatness. He is annually and smoothly making adjustments to his offense with what Garozzo calls 鈥渁n infinite playbook.鈥� He has his 2024 defense clicking consistently (fourth-fewest points allowed in the NFL, ninth-fewest yards allowed).

And really, Reid could鈥檝e made the Hall of Fame even if he never coached the Chiefs.

With Philadelphia, he went 130-93-1 overall (for comparison, Mike Ditka won 121 career games and Dick Vermeil won 120). And Andy advanced to four consecutive conference championship games 鈥� and one Super Bowl (which the Eagles lost to New England).

But after a brutal 2012 season, the Eagles fired him 鈥� and the Chiefs hired him. He is now, indisputably, an iconic coach.

His record with Kansas City is 143-53.

Let that sink in.

He won three Super Bowls (in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons) and lost one (the 2020 season 鈥� and Garozzo takes a bit of the blame because that was the only Reid-Chiefs Super Bowl he 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 attend).

Entering this season, Reid arrived at Garozzo鈥檚 with his defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the former 蜜芽传媒 Rams head coach. The Royals were in the playoff hunt, so the fellows wanted to sit in the bar area to watch. Garozzo handpicked the table: the one under the large, looming photo of the legendary coach Vince Lombardi, whose name, of course, is on the trophy Reid is perpetually chasing.

鈥淗e鈥檚 just a fantastic guy who loves to eat, loves life, loves people,鈥� Garozzo said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 great with the customers, very gracious. Customers are always wanting to get pictures with them. Very accommodating. And he鈥檚 just a super guy. He loves his players 鈥� and his players love him.鈥�

And over the years, Reid has enjoyed chicken spiedini at Garozzo鈥檚, where the dish was invented 鈥� yep, Garozzo is innovative like his famous buddy.

When Garozzo opened his restaurant in 1989, he recalled, Americans were eating chicken more than in previous years.

鈥淎t the time, we鈥檙e eating the beef spiedini, the way my Nonno Garozzo used to make it,鈥� Garozzo said. 鈥�(Uncle Alfio) said, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 you try doing the chicken like this, like the beef?鈥� We tried 鈥� it was delicious. And he said, 鈥楳ike, you got to put this on the menu.鈥� I said, 鈥楢re you crazy? Nobody鈥檚 ever seen chicken spiedini on the menu. Nobody will order it!鈥� He said, 鈥楶ut it on the menu. If it doesn鈥檛 sell, take it off.鈥� We put it on the menu. It became our signature dish. Now we鈥檝e got four or five versions of it.鈥�

On Sunday, the Chiefs host the Bills with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Can鈥檛 wait to see what Reid cooks up.