September 28, 2009
Industry Headlines
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Pizza Patrón has teamed with Pepsi in a national, co-branded promotion in all of its stores. The promotion began Sept. 1 and was specifically designed to celebrate and honor the Latin culture and lifestyle during Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a bilingual promotion, but Spanish language dominant. Advertisements for the promotion read, "!Viva Latino! Pizza Patrón y Pepsi® Festejan el Mes Patrio," meaning, “Pizza Patrón and Pepsi celebrate this historic, patriotic month for all Latinos of diverse roots.”
With any 2-liter purchase of Pepsi products through Sept. 30, customers will receive a free phone egrip® Non-Slip Strip. The egrip is a protective, silicone material that can be applied to the back of a cell phone to make it easier to handle and prevent it from sliding on any surface. The free egrip® features the Pizza Patrón and Pepsi logos, as well as Pizza Patrón’s slogan, “Latin Life, Enjoy.™” which reinforces the company’s unique focus while broadening its current customer base by inviting every demographic to enjoy and experience the diversity found within the Latin lifestyle.
“Celebrating the rich history and traditions found within the Latin life and culture is what makes our brand strong,” said Andrew Gamm, brand director for Pizza Patrón. “National Hispanic Heritage Month is a chance for us to honor the Latin culture which goes to the core of our company’s values.”
Backyard cookouts and family pizza night come together in a balance of bold and tangy flavor with Round Table Pizza's latest creation, the Barbeque Chicken Pizza, which features tangy BBQ sauce, grilled white-meat chicken, bacon, Roma tomatoes, red onions, cheddar cheese, smoked provolone and mozzarella.
"This pizza is all about quality chicken and using the perfect flavors to enhance it," says Tinka Gordon, vice president and chief marketing officer."Round Table brought chicken into the pizza mainstream nearly two decades ago, and now we're giving it a bold wakeup call."
The Barbeque Chicken Pizza takes its place alongside the Chicken and Garlic Gourmet and the Chicken Smokehouse, already on Round Table's specialty menu.
"We've always taken strides to make sure we do chicken the right way," says
Michele Hennessey, director of product development. "We use only white meat Foster Farms chicken and pair it with top-quality ingredients. As the 'Last Honest Pizza,' we feel obligated to bring the best to our guest's plate."
CiCi's Pizza recently presented Big Brothers Big Sisters with a check totaling $26,000 at the charity's headquarters in Irving, Texas during an all-region board meeting. The money raised by CiCi's Pizza's team members was generated from the company's successful Penny Picker Upper campaign, a silent auction at CiCi's annual conference, and inkind pizza party donations from the Bowl for Kids Sake events. Big Brothers Big Sisters will earmark the funds to support youth mentoring services to children in local communities.
“We are proud to have Big Brothers Big Sisters as a philanthropic partner,” said Steve Hawter, V.P. of Training for CiCi’s. "The work Big Brothers Big Sisters accomplishes in our communities closely aligns with our vested interest in children. By supporting the organization's efforts, CiCi’s can positively impact the lives of children in a way that will change them forever.”
In addition to cash donations, CiCi’s also supports Big Brothers Big Sisters by providing pizza to more than 5,000 participants annually during Bowl for Kids’ Sake events at no cost to the agency.
According to thousands of U.S. consumers, Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza is not only the “Best Pizza Chain in America” for the seventh straight year, but it’s also one of the top 10 restaurant chains in the country. In the overall rankings among all restaurant categories, Papa Murphy’s was one of only two quick service restaurants (QSR) in the top 10, joining other industry leaders such as P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (NASDAQ: PFCB), Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory.
“The past year has been a great test,” said John Barr, CEO at Papa Murphy’s. “While many restaurant brands tried to save market share by reinventing themselves or their product offerings, Papa Murphy’s has stuck to what we know our customers want – quality pizza with the freshest ingredients at a great value. It’s what we’ve always stood for and our customers know they can count on us for that. We’re honored that they consider Papa Murphy’s not only the best pizza company in the country, but one of the best restaurants out there, period.”
Earlier this year, more than 3,000 consumers rated over 200 chain restaurants on a variety of guest satisfaction attributes in Restaurants Institution’s Annual Consumers’ Choice in Chains survey. Papa Murphy’s received the highest possible accolade – the Platinum Award – in the pizza segment by a large margin, soaring 16 percent above the pizza category’s second-place winner, Papa John’s.
Papa John’s is set to announce a partnership with Sony that will enable users to get hot delicious pizza delivered to their door between epic battles and high-speed races.
The ordering option is being promoted on the PS3 browser's main startup page, with a Papa John's button wedged snugly between the links to YouTube and the promo site for the GAMER movie. The Papa John's button leads to a PlayStation-specific version of its Website that features a slightly different layout and ads for games like PixelJunk Shooter and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time.
Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza threw a pizza party to mark the opening of a renovated restaurant on Saturday, September 26 in Plano, Texas.
The public was invited to meet Mayor Phil Dyer as he officially opened the restaurant with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The morning presentation also included an announcement from Nick-N-Willy’s President, Richard Weil, about a donation to a local charity as part of the company’s community giving program. Nick-N-Willy’s then hosted an afternoon of family fun with free pizza samples, live music, face painting, a pizza making contest and a raffle to win free pizza for an entire year.
“Pizza is all about sharing, and at Nick-N-Willy’s we want to share a ‘piece of our pie’ with everyone in all communities in which we operate,” said Nick-N-Willy’s President & COO, Richard Weil.
The renovated Nick-N-Willy’s in Plano is located at 100-3949 Legacy Drive.
Papa Bello Enterprises, Inc. has announced that the company is moving its corporate headquarters and franchise training facility to Baltimore, Maryland, effective October 15th. Additionally, the company has named Frank Pastore as the company's COO and Director of Franchise Sales and Training. This appointment is a continuation of the company's reorganization and development program initiated in late August.
The Pastore family has owned and operated Italian style eateries for over a century. Pastore has been directly involved within the Food service industry for over 30 years, and is a well-respected businessman in the Mid Atlantic community. Pastore will lead all aspects of Franchise marketing and training for perspective franchisees and their employees. Pastore believes that there are several underdeveloped aspects of Papa Bello's business model that can be enhanced to provide additional sales and could lead to additional franchise expansion.
In connection with the change in corporate location, the Las Vegas office will cease operations and all training and franchise operations will originate from Baltimore. In addition, Papa Bello will also begin work on new product lines and enhanced operational plans.
Frank Pastore, COO of Papa Bello states, "I was thrilled when I received the offer to work with Papa Bello Pizza. I've been to their facilities and seen the quality of their products and their people. I truly believe with my assistance, some hard work and dedication, this company has the potential to become a force within the franchise industry. With their Master lease agreement with Wal-Mart, they have a leg up on most franchise opportunities. I will strive to build the Papa Bello franchise footprint and brand."
Founded in 2005, Papa Bello Enterprises is a Baltimore, Maryland based corporation that owns, operates, and franchises Italian style eateries in the United States and abroad. The company currently operates stores inside Wal-Mart Superstores and stand-alone locations.