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 Prime 100 Pizza Firms, Pizza Inn reported greater than $150 million in gross sales final yr. 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 have been the first challenges you confronted if you took over as CEO simply over a yr in the past?
CM: The largest was simply our idea and the way we wanted to make it extra related to a broader viewers, that means each when it comes to 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 through the years. 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 yr?
CM: We applied a back-to-basics program with our franchisees that included the whole lot from service execution to the dough and the standard of our product. It’s been very profitable.
PT: Does this economic system favor buffet ideas?
CM: Completely. I believe our idea specifically can climate this financial storm very properly. For $5.99 sometimes, plus a drink, we provide quite a lot of fresh-made pizzas on two forms of crust, thick and skinny, plus recent salad and desserts — which we name ‘Pizzerts’. All that comes at a really engaging value — plus children eat free on Tuesdays in a lot of our eating places. We really feel like our affordability and our prime quality make a really robust worth proposition.
PT: How did Pizza Inn have a good time 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 alter the feel and appear of them. Our clients and franchisees alike have been very enthusiastic about him coming again. We will get numerous play out of him.
PT: What number of shops do you propose to open in 2009?
CM: I believe within the subsequent yr you’ll see us deliver extra firm owned shops and extra franchised shops into play. I haven’t given any steerage on that but when it comes to a quantity, however we’re excited in regards to the new appear and feel and we’ll add quite a lot of new shops earlier than our fiscal yr ends, which is in June. I believe the brand new restaurant prototype shall be a catalyst, and I anticipate that you just’ll see numerous new shops opening sooner or later.
