Pizza Inn Express Kiosk Extends the Brand

Pizza Inn is part of the Rave Restaurant Group and is attempting to revive and drive top line sales and bottom line profits at Pizza Inn expanding the brand via a kiosk into Convenience Stores, Airports and other non-traditional fresh food locations.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® thinks the team at Pizza Inn are on the right track.

Rave Restaurant Group knows pizza they also own Pie Five which opened its first airport earlier this year, has unveiled an express kiosk version of its Pizza Inn buffet concept for licensing in nontraditional locations like convenience stores.

Smaller footprint faster growth Pizza Inn Express, or PIE, kiosk will require between 50 and 100 square feet and be geared toward airports and entertainment venues as well according to the team at Rave. Scott Crane, Rave CEO stated  "This could be a game-changer for Pizza Inn as we tap into new markets and expansion opportunities for our flagship brand,”

Carne continued “We're already seeing great interest from existing and potential franchisees who see this model as a new way to serve customers the same iconic, quality pizza they have come to expect, but in a faster setting,”

As of the first quarter ended Sept. 24, Rave had 83 fast-casual Pie Five Pizza units and 159 domestic Pizza Inn restaurants. The company also had 60 international Pizza Inn units. Bob Bafundo, Pizza Inn president stated  “The PIE kiosk is attractive to nontraditional operators because it allows them to move quickly, be more nimble, and react to changes in customer traffic and facilities, all at a minimal investment,"

Bafundo  continued "It's a branded concept that's attractive enough to be the permanent centerpiece in a travel center or airport,”… “yet nimble enough to provide the same benefits traditional operators get from a food truck."

Going into 2018 doing more with less will be a success clue for many legacy restaurant brands according to Johnson.  Competing on quality, service, and price will once again separate the leaders from the pack. 

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Pizza Inn Expands Non-Traditional Outlets

The ever expanding grocerant niche has attracted retailers from ever sector according to Tacoma, WA based Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson of Foodservice Solutions®.  That includes Pizza Inn who’s tag line is “America’s Hometown Pizza Place,” new prototype for a non-traditional licensing model called Pizza Inn Express, or PIE for short, that will give customers a fast, seamless experience when picking up their favorite hot pizza.

Scott Crane, CEO of Pizza Inn’s  parent company, Rave Restaurant Group, stated “Convenience stores are a $575 billion industry with 70 percent of sales attributed to in-store purchases,” says. “This could be a game-changer for Pizza Inn as we tap into new markets and expansion opportunities for our flagship brand. We’re already seeing great interest from existing and potential franchisees who see this model as a new way to serve customers the same iconic, quality pizza they have come to expect, but in a faster setting.”

Pizza Inn is targeting expansion within convenience stores, airports entertainment venue options or could go into grocery stores according to Johnson.  The licensing deal for Pizza Inn Express will allow customers to order and pay at a kiosk for grab-and-go or pick up their food at a designated spot. Pizza Inn Express was developed as a new strategy to edify the brand, to expand the brands reach as they refresh the current store base.

Pizza Inn has a strong presence in the southeastern part of the country where the convenience store segment has the nation’s highest grouping of independent operators.  Pizza Inn expects to have its first prototypes operating within the next 90 days.

Bob Bafundo, president of Pizza Inn  stated “The PIE kiosk is attractive to non-traditional operators because it allows them to move quickly, be more nimble, and react to changes in customer traffic and facilities, all at a minimal investment,” … “It’s a branded concept that’s attractive enough to be the permanent centerpiece in a travel center or airport, yet nimble enough to provide the same benefits traditional operators get from a food truck.”

Is your brand stuck? Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information. 

Wendy's: Delivery Worked for McDonald’s and the Pizza Sector Why Not Us?

There are times when the customer moves and you simply have to move with them according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Bandwagon marketing / copycat marketing has been around for a long time there are times chains simply have to jump on the bandwagon or risk losing customers, sales, and profits.

The first thing regular readers of this blog will want to know is will the Pizza Sector slip even more?  The simple answer is no.  We will see the Pizza sector sales flatten but they should stabilize a bit as McDonald’s had a greater impact on the pizza sector than will Wendy’s.  That said Wendy’s delivery will show very positive results according to the team conducting grocerant scorecards at Foodservice Solutions®.

By January 1, 2018 Wendy’s expects to offer delivery via DoorDash a close to 2,500 restaurants in 48 markets. Wendy’s president and chief executive officer Todd Penegor said during a conference call Wednesday the chain was “excited about expanding access to our brand further and continue to find new ways to provide convenience to our customers.”

Delivery will help extend same store sales growth at Wendy’s.  This we Wendy’s announced that they had their 19th consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales in North America. The brand opened 42 new restaurants in the third quarter and has opened 110 units year-to-date, which is almost 30 more than this time a year ago. Delivery will help drive top line growth and bottom line profits along with incremental customer relevance.

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.