Pizza is such a universally craveable staple of the American food scene that it’s a no-brainer for convenience stores considering expansion of their foodservice program. With reliable demand and the availability of turnkey solutions to streamline production, implementing a pizza program is an easy decision.
According to Technomic’s 2020Pizza Consumer Trend Report, about a third of consumers eat pizzas from c-store foodservice areas at least once a month; another 11% say they do so at least weekly. Those numbers are likely to rise during the COVID-19 era: Technomic’s Q22020C-Store Consumer Market Brief found that foodservice is a key driver among customers who have increased their visits. Their reasons include convenience (42%) and safety concerns (32%) compared to restaurants.
Pizza has strong appeal across dayparts, especially dinner and lunch. But with its portable nature and versatility, it’s also a natural for snacking and breakfast, two occasions that often dovetail with c-store visits.
With nearly 30 years of experience supplying convenience stores, Hunt Brothers Pizza has developed an easy-to-establish, easy-to-produce branded pizza program that covers all the bases. In crafting it, the four Hunt brothers envisioned Hunt Brothers Pizza as a complete pizza concept for neighborhood markets and c-stores.
The program is ideally configured for the fast pace of a c-store. Existing employees are trained to use Hunt Brothers’ pizza shoppe-caliber equipment, set up in a variety of configurations to fit the individual store. The menu boasts quality ingredients and the brand’s All Toppings No Extra Charge® promise. Thanks to portion control and convenient packaging, the program is simple and profitable.
Store owners can rely on dedicated Hunt Brothers Pizza Account Managers to manage inventory, restock and rotate product, clean up during regular visits and do initial and ongoing employee training. Account Managers also monitor pizza sales, provide emergency restock service when needed and install free marketing materials to support their program. By supplying all the ingredients and insisting on top quality, the company ensures a consistent result.
The menu offers something for every daypart and appetite: breakfast pizzas, hearty Hunk A Pizza® quarter pizzas, WingBites® snacks and made-to-order whole pizzas for families and groups.
Marketing is an important element of the Hunt Brothers Pizza success story. At the store level, free in-store merchandising ideas and promotions help drive sales. In addition, Account Managers provide local store marketing tools and advice. Nationally, the brand reaches millions of NASCAR fans through driver sponsorship. The company also provides a free store locator app for hungry on-the-go customers.
Following this formula, Hunt Brothers Pizza has expanded to more than 7,800 locations across the country. Customers have no contract and pay no royalty or franchise fees. There are no minimum orders; they are expected to protect the brand by providing a fresh, consistent product, properly maintain equipment and have the opportunity to participate in promotions.
With several decades in the retail and wholesale pizza business, the Hunt family has finely tuned their business model, relationships with store partners, and they know what works and what doesn’t. Click here to learn more.
This post is sponsored by Hunt Brothers Pizza