A new strategy of partnering with hotels made 2022 a record year for Pizzeria Uno, known as the birthplace of Chicago deep-dish pizza.
The company announced that it “recorded a significant amount of franchise signings and openings” last year after a decade without any domestic franchise additions. The brand opened five new franchise locations in 2022. The expansion and growth was attributed at least in part to helping hotel owners and operators “achieve more profits with their full-service restaurants.”
Pizzeria UNO CEO Erik Frederick said 2022 was “a record year for growth for Pizzeria Uno, and we attribute much of our success to our franchise model and new focus on hotel restaurant conversions.” He added that “the hotel restaurant conversion model will be a major source of growth for the brand moving forward.”
Related: Pizzeria Uno sets its sights on the hotel industry
Last year Pizzeria Uno said it was looking for qualified hotel owners who wanted to revamp their food and beverage program by bringing in a name brand for their on-site restaurants. This business model offers five revenue streams for hotel restaurants:
- Increased revenue from dine-in for hotel guests
- Take-out for hotel guests
- Take-out and/or delivery sales from the local community
- Dine-in revenue from people in the surrounding area who typically would not dine at a hotel restaurant
- The potential addition of group sales
Looking ahead to 2023, Pizzeria Uno said it’s targeting 10 to 15 new units, with more expected in the years ahead.
