Pita Pit franchise opens in Kanawha Cityby Monica Orosz
When Pat Parker and his wife lived in Huntington, they loved stopping at the Pita Pit for lunch.
When their jobs - his as a financial planner for Merrill Lynch, hers as a physician for Charleston Area Medical Center - brought them to Charleston, they lamented the loss of their favorite sandwiches, tucked into bread that is baked like a pocket to hold the ingredients.
And then they did something about it.
Wednesday, Parker opened the state's third Pita Pit franchise in Kanawha City, at 4222 MacCorkle Ave. The concept is "fresh thinking, healthy eating," and the menu includes everything from breakfast pitas with eggs and sausage to cold cuts, steak, Mediterranean beef and falafel, made with chickpeas and spice.
Toppings include standards such as lettuce and tomato and the more unusual such as hummus and babaganoush, which is made with eggplant. There are 16 sauces, including tzatziki with yogurt and cucumber; mustard; and ancho chipotle. Sandwiches range from $4 to $6.
Already by lunchtime at Wednesday's soft opening, the restaurant was hopping.
"For me, it wasn't a money-driven thing," said Parker. Not that he wants to throw money down the tubes - he says the investment was a carefully thought-out one.
And the Pita Pit, which began in 1995 in Canada and now has 300 stores in North America, is pretty picky about its franchisees, too.
"Before they'd even accept us, we had to go to their headquarters in Coer d'Alene, Idaho, for a 'discovery day.'"
During that day, Pita Pit officials lay out the requirements for a franchise and interview the potential franchisee.
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