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Much like other pizza chains during the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter Piper Pizza’s delivery and pickup sales are up. David McKillips, CEO of parent company CEC Entertainment, said that unlike its sister brand, Chuck E. Cheese, Peter Piper’s sales come from food rather than arcade games.
Peter Piper’s recent off-field success has seen the CEC open three peter piper courier unita 1,000-square-foot unit that offers takeout and delivery.
But the company didn’t stop there. After months of research and development, Peter Piper conceptualized a fast-casual concept called Peter Piper Pizzeria, with limited games and an expanded menu that included not only its core pizza and wings, but also pasta and sandwiches, McKillips said. , desserts, beer and wine.
Unlike its traditional Peter Piper Pizza restaurants, which range from 14,000 to 15,000 square feet, the fast-casual concept ranges from 3,080 to 5,000 square feet, McKillips said. Compared with the brand’s traditional restaurants, which typically offer a buffet and a variety of games, fast-casual restaurants have limited gaming activity. These traditional units cater to families and special events and are brisk on the weekends.
The CEC will initially test two iterations of the Peter Piper Pizzeria concept and gather customer feedback. One will have limited games and the other will have 8 to 10 games.
“We think Peter Piper Pizzeria could be a very popular growth opportunity outside of our Southwest core,” McKillips said.
Peter Piper Pizza has more than 100 legacy locations, with key locations in El Paso, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; and Phoenix, as well as locations in California and Mexico, McKillips said.
The first corporate-owned unit of Peter Piper Pizzeria will open in February in Olathe, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, and the second is expected to open in Kansas City in April, McKillips said.
Other chains have also been expanding their brands with fast-casual units. i jump Opened its first Flip’ by IHOP store in 2021, offering breakfast items like pancake bowls and egg sandwiches. Friendly’s opens fast food restaurant friendly cafe last year. Outback Steakhouse has opened the first domestic location of its fast-casual spin-off, Australian BBQyears ago.
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Bringing pan pizza to its birthplace
CEC management chose Kansas City as a testing ground for its fast-casual concept because it is a “foodie city,” McKillips said. He said the firm reviewed the area’s core demographics, rent and media costs, and growth in suburbs and inner cities. Ultimately, the CEC team found that the rapid change in the Kansas City area helped drive national brand awareness.
Kansas City is also the birthplace of pizza, a key element of Peter Piper’s menu, McKillips said.fast casual pizzeria use Roto-Flex The oven can bake pizzas on several racks and can hold 24 18-inch pizzas at a time. It will be the first time the oven has been used in Kansas City, he said.
“We thought it would be great for us to have the brand as an entrée, this new oven as an entrée, and all the other demographics and ancillary R&D that we saw fit Kansas City very well,” McKillips said. ”
CEC is investing in corporate fast casual concepts to build a proof of concept and ensure it is franchise-friendly and easy to develop. In the future, Peter Piper Pizzeria will be open to franchisees, McKillips said.
With the addition of the Peter Piper Express and Pizzeria concepts, CEC now has three expressions of the brand, which will create further opportunities for growth, McKillips said.
“Pizzerias are really fast-casual experiences,” McKillips said. “You can go in for lunch, you can go in for dinner and we’ll be able to serve you very quickly. … It’s also got great sit-down and off-court capabilities.
Express units can be easily installed in non-traditional locations such as airports, baseball stadiums and shopping malls, McKillips said
“We think the brand has [the] the strength to enter and develop any market in the country,” McKillips said.
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