7Pines Sardinia Expands Collaboration with Franco Pepe to Trattoria

Collaborating with a renowned chef or pizzaiolo can be a powerful gastronomic investment for luxury hotels. However, the true value of the collaboration emerges not just from the chef's name being featured on the menu, but from how well it connects with the destination.

Spazio by Franco Pepe at 7Pines Resort Sardinia is undergoing a remarkable transformation in this regard. According to a news article by Gambero Rosso dated August 27, 2026, the project, which has been operating at the resort for three seasons, has expanded its scope by adding a new trattoria alongside its pizza service this summer. The new structure brings Franco Pepe's pizza approach into a stronger alignment with the products of the Gallura region and the resort's culinary team.

At the heart of the project is the collaboration between Franco Pepe and 7Pines Resort Sardinia's Executive Chef Pasquale D’Ambrosio. D’Ambrosio also manages the kitchen of the resort's fine dining restaurant, Capogiro. The official gastronomy page of 7Pines confirms that Capogiro is based on local Sardinian products and Mediterranean cuisine.

A Renowned Chef's Name Alone is Not Enough

Bringing in an outside renowned chef or brand to luxury hotels can quickly make the F&B department visible from a marketing perspective.

However, there are two different models for such collaborations.

The first is to transfer the existing format of a successful restaurant to the new destination as closely as possible. The second is to restructure the products, supply chain, and menu according to the region while preserving the chef's technique and identity.

The development of Spazio by Franco Pepe in Sardinia leans towards the second model. Gambero Rosso reports that the project was not designed from day one to be a direct copy of Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo; rather, relationships with local producers and the place of Gallura products in the menu have strengthened over three seasons.

This approach is significant for the hotel. Because guests are not purchasing the same restaurant experience they could find in another city, but rather a unique experience specific to the destination they are staying in.

Gallura Products are Not Just Decoration on the Menu

In the project, Sardinia's local products have increasingly become a prominent part of pizza recipes. Gambero Rosso notes that regional products such as sea fennel and Sardinian spiny artichokes have been incorporated into new recipes.

Local products had also been highlighted in previous collaborations between Franco Pepe and Pasquale D’Ambrosio. Industry evaluations published in 2024 indicated that the two chefs developed joint pizza recipes using local ingredients.

The difference here is not just adding local products to the menu to use the term "Sardinian," but making them part of the producer network and recipe development process.

For the claim of locality in hotel restaurants to be credible, the purchasing system must also support this.

Working with local producers can create new operational challenges such as small-volume deliveries, seasonal changes, natural variations in product standards, and logistics. Therefore, the chef's creative approach and the purchasing team's capacity must develop together.

Why is the Trattoria an Important Expansion?

The new trattoria allows Spazio to evolve from being solely a pizza-focused concept to offering a broader Italian dining experience.

According to Gambero Rosso, the quality of raw materials, seasonality, and the local supply chain are also central to the trattoria side. While pizza service continues, guests can now experience a wider culinary adventure within the same concept. The resort also offers some pizzas and dishes at a different service point with the Spazio Pool format around the pool.

This expansion can create several advantages from an operational perspective.

Customers coming for pizza may be directed to a higher average check dinner. A portion of the same products and supply network can be used in different recipes. Additionally, the restaurant can transform from being just "the resort branch of a famous pizzeria" into a broader gastronomic destination.

However, expanding the menu also increases the complexity of the kitchen.

As pizza production, hot kitchen, service style, and staff competencies diversify, there may be a need for new equipment, mise en place, and shift requirements. Therefore, the increase in average check due to product diversity should be monitored alongside the increase in operational costs.

The Resort's F&B Strategy is Not Based on a Single Restaurant

The gastronomic structure of 7Pines Resort Sardinia is not limited to Spazio.

The resort consists of 75 rooms and suites and operates as part of the Destination by Hyatt collection. Official sources indicate that the fine dining restaurant Capogiro and the beachside Cone Club are also key components of the gastronomic portfolio.

At Capogiro, Pasquale D’Ambrosio interprets Sardinian products and Mediterranean cuisine in a more refined fine dining format, while Cone Club offers a more casual beach club experience.

The pizza and trattoria format of Spazio by Franco Pepe creates a different price point and usage moment between these two extremes.

This diversity is significant in resort management. It cannot be expected that every guest will prefer fine dining every night. Likewise, it is not possible for all F&B demand to be met by the beach club.

Different concepts allow guests to experience various dining experiences without leaving the resort during their four or five-night stay.

Gastronomy Can Create Demand for the Hotel Itself

7Pines' official approach defines gastronomy as one of the core components of the holiday experience and collaborates with renowned chefs at its various resorts.

This strategy has an important consequence for hotels: the restaurant can become more than just a department that meets the needs of staying guests.

A strong chef's name can attract external customers, create media visibility, and strengthen the hotel's position within the destination.

This becomes particularly important in high-income areas like Costa Smeralda, where there is strong competition in gastronomy.

However, external customer traffic must be managed correctly with resort operations. If reservation capacity is entirely allocated to external customers, guests staying at the hotel may find it difficult to secure a restaurant, which could undermine the main accommodation experience of the gastronomic investment.

Therefore, the hotel needs to monitor the capacity of room guests and external customers separately in F&B management.

What Does This Tell Us About Resorts in Turkey?

In Turkey, particularly in destinations like Bodrum, Çeşme, and Antalya, collaborations between hotels and renowned chefs and restaurant brands are becoming increasingly visible.

This model can provide advantages in terms of brand awareness. However, the more significant aspect of the 7Pines example is the integration of the collaboration with local products and the existing chef team of the resort over several seasons.

In Turkey, it may also be important for an externally brought restaurant brand to establish a genuine connection with the destination.

For example, a concept in Bodrum working with Aegean producers instead of merely carrying the Istanbul menu, or a resort restaurant in Antalya incorporating regional products into its purchasing system, could add more value to the hotel brand through the collaboration.

Here, locality should be approached as a "menu story" rather than just a supply strategy.

Stafflink's Perspective

In our view, the strength of the collaboration between 7Pines Resort Sardinia and Franco Pepe lies in its evolution according to the location of the project rather than repeating the same format after three seasons.

Hotel-chef collaborations can generate strong media interest in the first year. However, for this effect to be lasting, new value must be produced in the second and third seasons.

The new trattoria is not just a menu expansion in this regard, but a sign of the maturation of the collaboration.

For resorts in Turkey, the fundamental question should not be "which famous chef can we bring?" but rather: How can this chef's expertise transform into a unique experience with the products of our destination and our existing kitchen team?

When established correctly, an incoming chef can be a partner that enhances the knowledge, producer network, and international visibility of the hotel's own gastronomy team, rather than an alternative to it.