Pizza Patrón, the leading Mexican pizza brand in the U.S., announced today that first and second quarter total sales in 2014 blew past expectations and are up a whopping 5.6 percent versus the same six-month period in the prior year, and that this historic mark was achieved with 14 percent fewer locations.
In 2013, Pizza Patrón closed 20 locations as part of a strategic effort to strengthen its business for the long term. In the first half of 2014, the company completed five additional closures and opened six new restaurants for a total of 91 stores, including the opening of the first two company-owned locations in Texas.
First two quarter same-store sales growth for the restaurant industry was a meager -0.06 percent and traffic was down nearly -2 percent according to The Restaurant Industry Snapshot from Black Box Intelligence and People Report. Pizza Patrón, however, bucked the disappointing trend with a red-hot, same-store sales growth of 11.6 percent, a 15 percent surge in traffic and by setting all-time sales records in 28 percent of its locations.
“We can attribute this year’s higher sales to the success of our early year promotions, including our ‘Any 3’ pizza deal and the ‘La Ch!#gona’ campaign, which drew international media coverage and won several awards,” said Andrew Gamm, brand director for Pizza Patrón. “We have seen very strong food sales, as evidenced by increased delivery reports from our distributor. Our overall case count is up on average more than 13 percent at each store this year.”
The company has taken many steps to further ‘Mexicanize’ the brand in 2014 with the introduction of new products like Pepperoni Mexicano and highly-focused campaigns like La Ch!#gona.
“We are working hard to create strong brand differentiation, a culture of innovation and rock-solid profitability within our system,” said Gamm.
Gamm also stated that as part of its new efforts to grow the brand, Pizza Patrón Inc. will entertain licensing agreements with companies who have access to special outlets like national grocery chains, major food services corporations, airport locations, college and university campuses and hospitals.
About Pizza Patrón
Since 1986, Pizza Patrón has been committed to making its promise of “Más Pizza. Menos Dinero.®” a reality for every customer. From the beginning, the brand has been recognized for its ‘fresh-dough’ pizza, its low prices and its trademark “friendly, bicultural service.” In 2007, the company drew international media attention with its PIZZA POR PESOS® program when it began accepting Mexican Pesos at all of its restaurants. In 2012, the company’s PIZZA POR FAVOR™ promotion that gave free pizzas to anyone who ordered in Spanish sparked international news coverage and lively debate throughout the U.S. Today, Pizza Patrón is the leading Mexican pizza brand in the U.S. and remains dedicated to bringing its unique experience to life with every pizza made, and in every community it serves.