Operations
After surviving vital decline, Pizza Inn has engineered a exceptional comeback by leveraging its nostalgic buffet idea, attaining spectacular monetary development and strategically reintroducing worth to its loyal buyer base.
Photograph: Pizza Inn
July 17, 2025 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Managing Editor, Networld Media Group
For generations, the glowing purple signal of Pizza Inn has been a beacon for households and buddies searching for consolation in traditional American pizza. Greater than only a restaurant, it is a slice of nostalgia, a spot the place childhood recollections are baked into each crust and the easy pleasure of an all-you-can-eat buffet reigns supreme, proving that some traditions, like an ideal pepperoni pie, by no means exit of favor.
The model began in 1958 in Dallas, Texas. It grew from there, ultimately hitting a 800-location mark.
However the model someway misplaced its approach with a number of operational missteps, together with a too-small advertising finances, in keeping with Brandon Solano, CEO of Rave Restaurant Group, Pizza Inn’s guardian firm. The model ultimately and shuttered many items.
At this time Pizza Inn has 79 buffet eating places. Solano mentioned there are just a few categorical places, “however I have been closing them down like loopy simply because they do not meet our requirements,” he mentioned in a cellphone interview.
“Our buffet shops have very, very excessive volumes for pizza shops — properly above what the nationwide chains have,” Solano mentioned. “We’re in a very good place, our franchisees are earning profits, we’re rising for the primary time in endlessly. It is arduous to go from 800 shops to 80, and we had 24 years of declining retailer counts.”
The fiscal 12 months ended final month and the model has had one other 12 months of constructive buffet development, which might mark 4 consecutive years of development.
“From a monetary standpoint, from a retailer rely standpoint, same-store gross sales — we have completely crushed it,” Solano mentioned. “Pizza Inn has accomplished a improbable job from driving same-store gross sales, driving profitability for franchisees, rising the enterprise, rising the unit rely and we’re actually very, very excited concerning the issues which are taking place.”
Pizza Inn additionally has a reimaging program underway with retailer remodels.
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Photograph: Pizza Inn |
Worth proposition
The one instrument Solano mentioned the model did not have was a worth proposition. The buffets, he mentioned, are already nice values with their pizzas, pastas, salad bars and desserts.
“I actually wished a worth promotion, and we have now some actually high-volume shops,” Solano mentioned. “We’ve some $4 and $5 million shops, and people of us are busy. They do not need to do a worth promotion. I used to be looking for one thing all of our franchisees would need to do.”
The outcome? Pizza Inn’s “I $8 at Pizza Inn” promotion. The buffet is priced at $8 on weekdays by way of July 27. Simply 13 or 14 shops are collaborating within the promotion however are seeing nice monetary positive aspects on days when the model often is not as busy as it’s on the weekends.
Many of the buffets are priced at $12 with a drink. The $8 worth level doesn’t embrace a drink and that enables for extra flexibility for value-conscious prospects. With out a drink, the buffet sits at $10, so $8 was a very good low cost to reach at, Solano defined.
Franchisees didn’t should take part within the promo, however “we’re tearing it up proper now with I $8, and it is a whole lot of enjoyable,” Solano mentioned.
Solano has a method for a worth proposition; one he launched whereas an government at The Wendy’s Firm. First, a model wants a compelling worth level. Second, there’s the necessity for a compelling deal with, a catchy nickname like Wendy’s 4 for $4 promotion or Subway‘s $5 footlong. Lastly, use sturdy media strain.
“If in case you have these three issues, you are going to have a success worth promotion,” Solano mentioned. “We had it with the 4 for $4 at Wendy’s. I used to be additionally at Domino’s once we did the 2 medium two tops for $5.99 again in 2010 when (the pizza) was new and improved. I used to be the VP of innovation at Domino’s once we did the ‘New and Improved’ there. We killed it.”
Solano mentioned he and his crew have the expertise to create and execute a robust worth proposition.
For these franchisees who’re collaborating within the “I $8 at Pizza Inn” promo, Solano mentioned the corporate has dropped a very good quantity of promoting {dollars} to promote it, together with commercials for the primary time in a long time on streaming companies like Tubi and Hulu.
About half of the markets obtained billboards, and Pizza Inn reached out regionally with PR and social media.
“We put our franchisees within the (tv) spots, so there is a personalized spot in each market the place the franchisee might make the shoot,” Solano added. The franchisees flew into considered one of Pizza Inn’s shops to shoot the promos.
“If it is working, you retain working the play till it stops working,” Solano mentioned.
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Photograph: Pizza Inn |
Within the close to future
Solano mentioned the following problem for Pizza Inn is rising its footprint.
“We’re constructive. We have been constructive the previous couple of years,” Solano mentioned, with “simply type of modest retailer rely. Plus three, plus one, plus 5. How can we get to actually significant retailer rely and development? I imagine we’re poised to try this. We have been working arduous on recruiting new franchisees, signing offers and we have now been releasing these numbers to the general public.”
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the location editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has greater than 20 years’ expertise overlaying meals, folks and locations.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings greater than 20 years’ expertise to Networld Media Group. She has spent practically 20 years overlaying the pizza trade, from impartial pizzerias to multi-unit chains and each dimension enterprise in between. Mandy has been featured on the Meals Community and has gained quite a few awards for her protection of the restaurant trade. She has an insatiable urge for food for studying, and may inform you the place to seek out the most effective slices within the nation after spending 15 years touring and consuming pizza for a dwelling.
