Pita Pit opens near Dillon campus

Pita Pit was recently featured in an article in the Dillon Tribune titled, "Pita Pit opens near Dillon campus". The article discusses how Franchisee Ashly and Travis loved Pita Pit in college and then eating it after their baby was born, which led them to their decision to bring Pita Pit to Dillon. The article then provides details of the construction and renovation, proximity to the college, and discusses future plans. Click here to read the article or begin below.

"Pita Pit opens near Dillon campus"
By J.P. Plutt

Dillon's Ashly and Travis Cottom have opened Pita Pit, a fast food restaurant, near the University of Montana Western at the former location of Dairy Queen.

Ashly Cottom and her husband Travis enjoyed their college years at the University of Montana in Missoula. The couple regularly dined at Pita Pit and when they spent three weeks in January at the neonatal intensive care unit watching over their young son, they began calling Pita Pit for deliveries to the hospital.

"I wanted to try something different," said Ashly, who at the time was the manager at Wells Fargo Bank in Dillon. "We started thinking it would do really well here in Dillon. This building came up for sale shortly after that so we decided to go for it." 

Click here to read the entire article.

Pita Pit featured in The Alestle

Pita Pit was recently featured in The Alestle in an article titled, "Pita Pit offers fresh food fast."  The article discusses how Pita Pit offers a healthy alternative to fast food for college students. Jim Hettler talked about Pita Pit is very popular amongst college campuses. Also, Jim talks about how he started franchising with Pita Pit and why he decided to open up in Edwardsville, IL. The article also interviewed some students who shared that they have interest in trying out the food that Pita Pit has to offer.  Click here for the entire article or begin below.

Pita Pit offers fresh food fast
By: Andrew Richards

Healthy eating options are piling up in Edwardsville, and Pita Pit is the newest member of the eat-right movement.

James Hettler, a retired Air Force officer of 23 years from Belleville, opened a Pita Pit restaurant on Monday at 215 Harvard Drive in Edwardsville, just off Troy Road.

Pita Pit has more than 300 locations in the U.S. and Canada. At first glance, it seems like an alternative to Subway. They allow customers to top pitas any way they like with a number of vegetables, cheeses and sauces to choose from. However, the restaurant is known for its healthier choices of food including sandwich meats and cheeses on Lebanese-styled pita bread, zesty sauces and fruit smoothies.

Hettler said he got the idea to start a Pita Pit franchise four years ago when he got his first taste of it while taking his daughter back to school at the University of Iowa. He spent more than an hour and a half talking to the owners about how to run one of the franchises.

“I was looking to start one then, in 2008,” Hettler said, “but because of the economy tanking, I wasn’t able to get it up and running.”
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Pita Pit featured in the Daily Press

Pita Pit was recently featured in the Daily Press in an article titled, "Pita Pit now open in Williamsburg." Daily Press reporter David Nicholson talks about how Brandon Twine, his mom Sue, and his fiancée Kimberly Felt decided to open a Pita Pit location next to the College of William and Mary after Sue retired. The article also details the menu that Pita Pit offers. Click here to view the entire article.

Pita Pit now open in Williamsburg
By: Brandon Twine


Brandon Twine has teamed up with his fiancée, Kimberly Felt, and his mom, Sue Twine, to open up Pita Pit, a fast-food style eatery in Tribe Square on the College of William and Mary campus.

The family business came about after Sue Twine retired from her job as an IT specialist in the Norfleet Naval Shipyard for over 40 years and Brandon left his job working as an electrician in the shipyard. They researched various franchises before deciding on Pita Pit.

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Pita Pit Opens on UNH Campus and is Featured in Campus Journal

Pita Pit was recently featured in the University of New Hampshire student paper, the Campus Journal, in an article entitled “Pita Pit Opens at the University of New Hampshire.” The article discusses the recent opening of Pita Pit on their very fist college campus in the United States on the UNH and not only is it the first on a college campus but it is also the first Pita Pit in the state of New Hampshire. What the Director of Dining services liked so much about the brand is it offered students the opportunity to eat healthy and affordable food options as an alternative to fast food restaurants. Since the Pita Pit opened on campus this fall, the sales at the Philbrook Café location have increased by 35.6% and the popularity of the new food options is growing rapidly across campus. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Pita Pit Opens at the University of New Hampshire

Pita Pit, the newest dining option at UNH, has opened in the Philbrook Café. Pita Pit will be open during the academic year Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.-1 a.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.

"Pita Pit is an international franchise that offers customers a healthy and affordable alternative to fast food restaurants," says Jon Plodzik, director of Dining Services. "Pita Pit serves made-to-order, proprietary lunch and dinner pitas and salads throughout the day. This is the first Pita Pit franchise in the New Hampshire."

Official grand opening activities for the Pita Pit included several free sample days with discount coupons distributed throughout campus. Pita Pit will also feature daily promotions including specially priced combos, discounted pitas and free beverages with the purchase of any pita.

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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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