Coeur d'Alene Press covers Pita Pit

COEUR d'ALENE - Pita Pit USA Inc., based in Coeur d'Alene, continues to see franchise growth while many other food franchises have been slowed by the continued weak economy.

Company representatives also said that the company has seen an increase in the number of applications for franchises, but the franchisor has been selective about new owners and franchise locations.

Many new Pita Pit franchise owners are recent college graduates, some of whom have had difficulty finding employment because of the economy, a trend which is expected to continue. Other new franchise owners are people who have lost their jobs in the economy and have become frustrated working for others, said Kevin Quinn, director of franchise development.

The recent college grads often partner with parents or others who can provide the financial backing, he said. "The young franchisees fit well in the college environment," said Quinn.

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Greenville News Features Clemson Grad Franchisee

Justin Kopelman, a recent Clemson Unversity graduate, was recently featured in the Greenville News. The article discusses Kopelman’s entrepreneur story where he opened a Pita Pit directly from graduating college and the brand’s continued development of the South Carolina region. The article also discusses that this is a growing trend and urges college grad’s to look toward business ownership.

Clemson grad makes his own job at Pita Pit
By Angela Davis

Kopelman began making a market for Pita Pit in Clemson after his first visit to the restaurant in Athens, near the University of Georgia.

He liked the healthier menu items and that “it was open late and it was packed.”

Kopelman had worked at Beezer’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop in Clemson. It was the late night hangout for students and others there until it closed two years ago, he said.

“I started talking to people about Pita Pit. A lot of people from Clemson knew Pita Pit from other schools. I also looked into the fact that late night, there wasn’t another option in Clemson,” he said. “Ever since then, Pita Pit as intrigued me.”

Kopelman opened the Clemson restaurant in October 2009. He hopes to open a Greenville store by July, though he has not chosen a site.

There are 180 Pita Pit restaurants in 38 states, Quinn said. The South Carolina restaurants are in Clemson, Columbia and Charleston.

The Pita Pit concept was situated on or near college campuses. The company has expanded its target locations to include small and mid-sized market areas as well.

Both Kopelman and Quinn said downtown Greenville is a good fit for Pita Pit because it a young town, with lots of young professionals

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Pita Pit Franchisee Featured in Charlotte Business Journal

Charlotte Pita Pit Franchisee, Peter Keretsis, was featured in a Charlotte Business Journal article today. The article was built from an in-depth interview with Peter Keretsis about his experience as a small business owner. The article is a Q&A discussing Peter’s entrepreneur story as a business owner and how his journey landed him back in Charlotte. The article also discusses his success in the Charlotte market and new areas that would be a great fit for the Pita Pit brand.

Charlotte Pita Pit Franchisee, Peter Keretsis with his business partner and wife, Angela.

Cutback becomes recipe for success
by Adam O’Daniel

Peter Keretsis believes his quick-service restaurant franchise, The Pita Pit, has the potential to grow across the region.

But he also says it’s important to balance his hours at the uptown restaurant with time with his family at home. So for now, he’s focused on maintaining that equilibrium, instead of expanding the business.

You once owned Pita Pit stores in Athens, Ga., and Columbia, S.C., in addition to the uptown store. Why did you sell them?
I love my wife and my kids too much. I sold the other two so I could be at home more to spend more time with them.

It wasn’t a financial reason, both stores were doing great. But I was working too much. So I made the personal decision to cut back and spend more time here.
Things are going so well here at this store now that I’m afraid to try and branch out again and ruin a good thing that I’ve got going. But I guess you never say never.

Are there other areas of Charlotte where a Pita Pit would succeed?
I feel like a location at University City would be great. They’d get the best of both worlds because they could draw the business customer during the day and then also be attractive to students at UNCC. I think one would do good in Stonecrest or in Ballantyne. Maybe even SouthPark, if you could find the right place with the right rent.

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Pita Pit featured in QSR Magazine

Pita Pit was recently highlighted in QSR Magzine. The article discusses various brands that have built a strong presence in college towns across the U.S. and Pita Pit was one of the main concepts featured. The college demographic is continuing to grow, and Pita Pit is definitely taking advantage of it. Below is a portion of the article with a link directing you to the full article.

Fans for Life
Quick serves find loyalty in the growing college crowd by opening on or near campuses.
By Jill Watral

Other brands not interested in locating directly on campus make sure to position their restaurants in entertainment districts just beyond campus borders. Though it has locations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and at the University of Wyoming, Pita Pit likes to grab the patronage of nonstudents, too.

“We want to kind of be close enough to campus that we get that daytime traffic from the students, but usually we try to locate in the entertainment district or a downtown area so we’re not completely tied to the student population,” says Kevin Quinn, director of franchise development for Pita Pit USA. Out of the 180 Pita Pit locations in the U.S., 100 are located near college campuses.

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Pita Pit Featured in Business Week

Recently, Pita Pit was highlighted in a Business Week article showcasing Pita Pit's unique and interactive training methods. Peter Riggs, VP for Pita Pit, brought in Jane Hammons, a local math teacher, to improve his franchisee training and make it fun and interactive. Below is a portion of the article including a link directing you to the article in its entirety.

Improve Your Employee Training Sessions
Make training engaging and interactive, not a lecture
By Carmine Gallo

If you dread leading employee training sessions, chances are your trainees share that lack of enthusiasm, making it much harder to transfer knowledge than it needs to be. One way to remedy this common problem is to make sure that the trainer—whether it's you or someone you select—is enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Peter Riggs is vice-president for The Pita Pit, a quick-service sandwich chain with 180 stores across the country. Every month, new or existing franchisees assemble in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, for several days of training. Riggs wanted to make sure they not only look forward to the training but share their experiences after it's completed. When he decided to hire a full-time trainer, he looked outside the industry and found Jane Hammons, a local math teacher with 19 years of experience and a reputation for keeping her classes engaged. Hammons had no experience in the restaurant business but had everything Riggs was looking for. "Anyone can learn systems, but if you don't have someone who is truly passionate about transferring that knowledge to eager minds, your training is going to be subpar," Riggs told me.

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