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Peter Piper, the 135-unit Glendale, Arizona-based chain, seeks to separate itself from the pack of “family-atmosphere” restaurants by going the competition one better in its marketing to children. The stores promise “90 minutes of magic” at each location. Video games, sports and array of redemption opportunities excite the youngsters (Last year some 432,000 game tickets were redeemed) and the company has discovered that if the kids are happy and occupied, chances are the adults are too.
“I like to see games from a kid’s perspective,” says Steve Thomas, V.P. of Entertainment for the company. “I actually get down on my knees and play the games so I’m down on the kids’ level. I can tell pretty quickly if it’s easy to play, simple to understand and exciting enough to engage someone. I never read the directions, because I know most kids won’t either. If I can’t figure it out, or if it’s too violent, I just move on to another game.”
Prior to joining Peter Piper, Steve was vice president of Amusements at Jillian’s and has 30 years in the game and entertainment industry. The secret, he says, is for many of the games to appeal to all ages. Right now the current favorite is Smokin’ Token. Under Steve’s direction, the company recently bought 1,000 games, which are all filed on a rotation schedule to keep the game rooms fresh. A dozen tech support staff has been hired to keep all the games in proper running order. Steve knows the frustration of a game not working.
“To kids, there’s nothing worse than wanting to play a game only to find that it’s broken. We’re dedicated to making sure that never happens.”
The move from vendor-operated game rooms to having ownership of everything in house is an important one, Steve says. It allows the company to have more control over the games as well as making sure they’re properly maintained.
“Games need to be available for kids, teens and families, we make it a top priority to be sure there’s something for everyone,” he says. When he sees a need that isn’t being filled, Steve has been known to contact game companies directly and help them develop something new. He and his team also work with them to theme their games toward Peter Piper, for instance a “Speedy Demon” became a “Speedy Pizza,” when it was introduced in the restaurants.
“It’s important that when our guests are in our game room, they know they’re at Peter Piper Pizza,” Steve declares. “Our logos are integrated into the games whenever possible, and we also make a real effort to include many interactive games that guests can play together. Helping families make memories and share laughs is the core goal that we always come back to.”
“Our guests don’t just come for the food,” adds Laurie Katapski, vice president of marketing. “They come for enjoyment, family time and laughter.”
On the Grow
As part of its marketing push, the company recently redesigned its website and increased its public communication efforts as well as rolling out a new point of sale system.
Tim Flynn, the chief financial officer for Peter Piper, says the new system will increase the value of the dining experience for customers. “This roll out will improve our speed of service, decrease training time and track data that will help us offer faster service to our guests and improve support to our restaurants.”
The end of 2005 saw ten new locations added; 2006 will see the planned opening of 14 more. And it’s not just new stores; new menu additions have been phased in over the last couple of years. A new garlic cheese bread was introduced last year and was an immediate hit. A Cinnamon Crunch dessert has also fared well as has the company’s new Smokehouse Pizza. This hearty dish contains sausage and bacon with hickory-smoked seasoning and provolone and mozzarella cheeses. More recently, ThinCredible, a new ultra thin and crispy pizza, has been rolled out along with two new salad items: a chicken Caesar salad and an Italian Chef containing mixed greens and black olives.
Frank Sbordone has been president of the company since 2000. Frank grew up making authentic Italian dough in his
parents’ pizza shop in New York. “The brand has taken on a life of its own in the past few years,” Frank says proudly. “The new management team has brought fresh energy and a new ad campaign and even a contagious spirit that has affected everyone.”
Frank adds that it is important for a pizzeria aimed at young people to be visible in the community as well. To that end Frank points to promotions the company pushes each year for a good cause.
“We work with the Girl Scouts as part of their merit badge program. We partner with police and fire departments every summer to conduct safety classes. We even have a promotion we call ‘Reading for Pepperoni.’ This is made up of four reading goals a teacher can assign and when a student completes the four goals, they receive a meal at Pied Piper.”
Frank also has high hopes for the company’s recent partnerships with professional sports teams, the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks. The company has deals in place to sell Peter Piper pizza at all their home games
The company has reported good results at those ballparks with their best-selling specialty pizza: the Werx, which features pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, beef, green peppers, black olives and onions.
Piping hot
Peter Piper has hit on a winning strategy in their marketing toward kids. The youngsters are attracted by the exciting atmosphere, with hot new video games for teens and “tweens” and live-wire games, prizes and play areas for the younger set. When a family comes in, the kids usually wolf down their pizzas and make a beeline for the entertainment areas. Parents can then sit back and enjoy a wide assortment of tasty pizza toppings, along with chicken wings, a salad bar and big-screen TVs.
A recent ranking by Technomic, Inc. placed Peter Piper among the Top 20 pizza chains offering games and electronics. Frank says, “We combine function and fun, that’s why Peter Piper Pizza is ranked among the top ten pizza restaurant chains in the United States.”
Laurie Katapski says the improvements go beyond the bottom line. “Our turnover rate has dropped almost 45 percent in the last three years. That tells you our employees - some 3,000 chain-wide, know the changes are working and its something they’d like to be a part of. Employees are our internal guests. We have to take care of them so they feel inspired to take care of our external guests. With all the growth we have planned, we need to be able to keep our team together and recruit qualified new people who will share that same enthusiasm. That’s why our concept works, we’ve got something for everybody.”