Charles Morrison is CEO of Pizza Inn, the buffet chain based mostly in The Colony, Texas. Ranked No. 19 on our annual checklist of America’s High 100 Pizza Corporations, Pizza Inn reported greater than $150 million in gross sales final 12 months. Morrison, a former director of strategic planning at Pizza Hut and former president of Steak and Ale, was appointed president and CEO of Pizza Inn in December 2007.
PT: What had been the first challenges you confronted once you took over as CEO simply over a 12 months in the past?
CM: The largest was simply our idea and the way we would have liked to make it extra related to a broader viewers, which means each by way of clients and franchisees alike. We rolled out a brand new idea in Denton, Texas, the place we re-integrated supply again into the idea and put extra of a nostalgic really feel again into Pizza Inn. We had moved away from that over time. The brand new prototype has been an ideal success.
PT: Apart from the prototype’s profitable launch, what do you take into account to be the most important accomplishments of the final 12 months?
CM: We carried out a back-to-basics program with our franchisees that included all the things from service execution to the dough and the standard of our product. It’s been very profitable.
PT: Does this financial system favor buffet ideas?
CM: Completely. I feel our idea specifically can climate this financial storm very properly. For $5.99 usually, plus a drink, we provide quite a lot of fresh-made pizzas on two kinds of crust, thick and skinny, plus contemporary salad and desserts — which we name ‘Pizzerts’. All that comes at a really enticing worth — plus children eat free on Tuesdays in a lot of our eating places. We really feel like our affordability and our top quality make a really robust worth proposition.
PT: How did Pizza Inn have fun its fiftieth anniversary in 2008?
CM: We celebrated it by bringing again our famed mascot, Jo Jo. He’ll seem within the eating places as we migrate to vary the feel and appear of them. Our clients and franchisees alike have been very enthusiastic about him coming again. We will get a whole lot of play out of him.
PT: What number of shops do you propose to open in 2009?
CM: I feel within the subsequent 12 months you’ll see us convey extra firm owned shops and extra franchised shops into play. I haven’t given any steering on that but by way of a quantity, however we’re excited in regards to the new appear and feel and we’ll add a variety of new shops earlier than our fiscal 12 months ends, which is in June. I feel the brand new restaurant prototype will probably be a catalyst, and I anticipate that you just’ll see a whole lot of new shops opening sooner or later.
