POTTSBORO, Texas -- Shamrock Gas & Go, Pottsboro, Texas, is the 7,000th retail location to join Hunt Brothers Pizza's business network. The company reached 7,000 locations in 28 states in fewer than 22 years--a milestone for the nation's largest supplier of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry.
The four Hunt brothers developed the Hunt Brothers Pizza business model in 1991. With a new type of frozen pizza crust that eliminated 90% of prep time and simplified the cooking process, the brothers offered convenience store owners the opportunity to open a turnkey "pizza shoppe" inside the store with minimal floor space.
"Since we've added the [Hunt Brothers] pizza shoppe, our sales have gone up and our customers love it. It's fresh, and you can't beat the price," said Jesse Bassi, owner of the Shamrock Gas & Go.
"We've reached this important milestone one store at a time, standing side by side with our partners at each convenience store location and forming personal relationships every step of the way," said Scott Hunt, CEO of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hunt Brothers Pizza. "We're out there every day driving traffic through their doors, and that's why c-store owners are excited to partner with us."
The company pairs its pizza with a direct-to-consumer marketing campaign that includes NASCAR sponsorships and sweepstakes partnerships featuring brands such as Realtree, Bad Boy Buggies and Holiday Inn, with tens of thousands of dollars in prizes.
Hunt Brothers Pizza charges no franchise or marketing fees to its c-store partners.
"Every person who works with Hunt Brothers Pizza should feel an amazing sense of pride at this accomplishment, from our corporate office and our distribution partners to the c-store owners and employees on the front lines every day selling hot, fresh pizza to hungry consumers. There's not a single one of you who didn't contribute to this milestone, and we thank every one of you," said Hunt.
Every c-store that offers Hunt Brothers Pizza has a dedicated account representative who personally delivers product, rotates inventory and evaluates opportunities to increase sales. The company also offers free marketing materials, frequent sweepstakes and promotional opportunities, an active social media fan base and a free ongoing training program for c-store employees.
Hunt Brothers Pizza offers regular, thin crust, and breakfast pizzas with "All Toppings No Extra Charge," plus Hunt Brothers Wings in Southern Style and Hot 'n Spicy flavors and WingBites in Home Style and Buffalo flavors.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.