Pita Pit in The Wenatchee World

Pita Pit were recently featured in The Wenatchee World in an article titled, "Pita Pit brings quick, healthy food to area". The article talks about the first Pita Pit in the region that opened up in Ephrata. The article talks about how Pamela Leseman wanted to open her own restaurant for years before she fell in love with the Pita Pit concept. It also discusses the 15 different meat pitas that they offer along with all of the healthy pitas that they offer to the local community. Click here to read the article or begin below.

"Pita Pit brings quick, healthy food to area"
By Mike Irwin

EPHRATA - The region's first Pita Pit, a restaurant franchise serving healthy sandwiches and salads, opened here Monday after 10 months of planning by the owner.

Pamela Leseman, a longtime Ephrata resident and local eatery manager, said she'd wanted to open her own restaurant for years before falling in love with Pita Pit's concept of "fresh thinking, healthy eating."

"Everything's fresh pretty much from start to finish." said the 51-year-old Leseman. "I love the decor, the menu and the attitude of helping people eat in healthy ways."

Click here to read the entire article.

Tech Graduates Bring New Restaurant to Lubbock

Pita Pit were recently featured in an article on The Daily Toreader titled, "Tech Graduates Bring new Restaurant to Lubbock". The article highlights the Tech graduates, Max and Udaya for opening their new Pita Pit in Lubbock. Max lets us in on why they tech duo decided to join Pita Pit and what they are looking to offer to the community. Click here to read the article or begin below.

"Tech Graduates Bring New Restaurant to Lubbock"
By Jeniffer Romero

Lubbock has many options for students to choose from when eating off campus, but new restaurants are still moving in.

Among these new restaurants is Pita Pit, which opened Saturday.

Max Bhakta, who graduated from Texas Tech in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in media and communications, decided to bring the franchise to Lubbock.

"My business partner Udaya and I were talking," he said, "and we wanted to open something where we were both from. We both graduated from Tech and Lubbock just felt like home to us."

Click here to read the entire article.

Pita Pit in Fast Casual

Pita Pit in Fast Casual in an article titled, "Fast casuals targeting New Year's resolutioners."  The article touches on a variety of fast casual restaurants and the healthy options they’re rolling out in conjunction with the New Year. The article includes information about the Resolution Solution promotion and provides a link to the press release in full.  Click here for the entire article or begin below.

Fast casuals targeting New Year's resolutioners

By: Cherryh Butler

Although fast casuals are known for their high-quality ingredients and atmosphere, many consumers also associate them with offering healthier food choices. And now that the New Year's resolutioners are out in full force, many concepts are hoping to attract health-conscious eaters by offering low-calorie, yet tasty menu options.

Below is a roundup of just a few restaurants planning to fatten up profits by marketing to skinny-focused eaters.

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Pita Pit featured in QSR Magazine

Pita Pit was recently featured in QSR Magazine in an article entitled “Want to Name a Fast Food Menu Item? You’re In Luck,” which delves into the brand’s newest social media contest called, “Name That Pita.” The contest, which will be held from March 21 to March 27, will ask fans to come up with a name for the new, limited-time Prime Rib and Provolone Pita and then vote on their favorite submission. Peter Riggs, Pita Pit’s Vice President of Corporate Business Unit, discussed some of the reasons behind the contest and how important it is to have your fans involved in the creative process. Riggs discussed the fact that Pita Pit is very much customer-oriented and always looking for feedback from customers on how they feel about product offerings, operations, etc. and if there are things that they can see that the brand can be doing better, it is taken under serious consideration. Click here to view the article in its entirety!

Want to Name a Fast Food Menu Item? You're In Luck
By Sam Oches

In an effort to engage its fans on Facebook, Pita Pit will hold a contest on the popular social network that will let the public name the concept’s newest pita.

The “Name That Pita” contest, which will be held from March 21 to March 27, will ask fans to come up with a name for the new, limited-time Prime Rib and Provolone Pita and then vote on their favorite submission.

(Read More)

Pita Pit featured in the Coeur d'Alene Press

Recently, The Pita Pit was featured in an article in the Coeur d’Alene Press about the brands success over the course of 2010. While many brands struggled to expand, The Pita Pit opened nearly 20 locations in 2010 and is on pace to open 25 in 2011. In addition, the brand moved up 36 places on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 listing as #124 on all franchise opportunities throughout the nation. Peter Riggs, VP of Corporate Business Unit, discussed the increasing access to SBA loans, which will assist entrepreneurs looking to open a Pita Pit in 2011. Riggs also discussed how the brand is finding new ways to cut costs and save money for the franchisees in the current economic climate. Click here to view the entire article.

Pita Power
By DAVID COLE

COEUR d'ALENE - For the fifth straight year, Pita Pit Inc., with 187 U.S. franchises, has made Entrepreneur Magazine's "franchise 500 list."

The chain was No. 1 within its category (pita sandwiches). Pita Pit Inc. is the franchising arm of Pita Pit USA Inc., headquartered in Coeur d'Alene.

Pita Pit was No. 124 in overall top U.S. franchise opportunities, moving up 36 positions from 2010.

(Read More)

The Pita Pit Recognized as Top Franchise Opportunity by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – For the fifth straight year The Pita Pit, a 187-unit pita franchise offering a healthy alternative to fast food, has owned Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500. This year’s rankings were no different, as the chain was not only No. 1 in its category, but No. 124 in overall top U.S. franchise opportunities, moving up 36 positions from 2010.

“We’ve been incredibly successful through the combined factors of our amazing franchisees and the loyalty and dedication of our fans,” said Dr. Jack Riggs, CEO of Pita Pit. “We are thrilled to be recognized yet again by such a prestigious institution and look forward to climbing even higher next year.”

While Pita Pit opened nearly 20 locations in 2010, it also reached uncharted territory for many franchises over the last five years, in that it opened more than 140 U.S. locations despite rocky economic conditions and other growth difficulties experienced by many franchises. Additionally, over the last five years, Pita Pit has improved the model with additional systems, infrastructure, and a fresh leadership team all designed to help propel its growth towards the 200-unit mark during 2011.

“We made great strides towards taking Pita Pit past 180 units this year in the U.S. and are prepping for an even bigger 2011,” Riggs said. “Positioned for steady growth, we are consistently introducing new products to continually satisfy our fans’ taste buds.”

Entrepreneur Magazine has conducted the Franchise 500 survey for 32 years. To determine rankings, each company is evaluated on its financial strength and stability, growth rate, size of system, years in business and franchising and percentage of unit closings. In 2011, Pita Pit plans to continue their national expansion with plans to add 25 units and rise even higher in the rankings on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, all through the support of new and existing franchisees.

With nearly 300 total locations in North America, Pita Pit has initially found success serving up a healthful variety of pita sandwiches on more than 100 Division-1 college campuses across the U.S, but has since expanded to many cities and communities without a collegiate presence. Unlike its quick service competitors, Pita Pit offers a large number of low-calorie, healthful options, making it the breakfast, lunch, dinner and after-hours snack choice for people aiming to keep their diets wholesome and their bodies fit without sacrificing great taste.

“We’ve stayed at the top of our industry by offering a healthy, personalized product and a genuine experience,” said Pita Pit’s VP of Corporate Business Unit, Peter Riggs. “In 2011, we hope to introduce our concept to more and more untapped markets and rise even higher on the Franchise 500 list.”

Pita Pit Featured in Wall Street Journal

Recently Pita Pit was featured in The Wall Street Journal on April 8th in an article entitled, “Creativity on the Menu for Restaurant Financing.” The article was built from an interview with Corey Browman, Mike Brink, and Justin Kopleman. The article discusses different creative ways that franchisees are finding loans/financing options in the current economic climate. Below is a thumbnail of the article along with a link to the entire scanned article.

“Creativity on the Menu for Restaurant Financing.”
By Julie Bennett

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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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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