Pita Pit Featured in San Antonio Business Journal

Pita Pit was recently featured in a great article in the San Antonio Business Journal, entitled, “Franchise Incentives.” The article discusses franchising trends in the current economic climate and ways that different franchisors have adapted to help new franchisees enter into their systems. The article was built from an in-depth interview with Corey Bowman and Brandon Burgoon, Pita Pit’s franchisee opening a new location in Huntsville. The article was also picked up by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and the Pittsburgh BusinessTimes. Below is a sample of the article with a link to the article in its entirety.

Franchise Incentives
By Randy Lankford

...At the other end of his career is Brandon Burgoon, 24, a recent graduate of Texas A&M who will soon open his Pita Pit franchise near the Sam Houston State University campus in Huntsville. The cost of entry into the business was a deciding factor for the young entrepreneur.

“I looked at every (quick-service restaurant) franchise opportunity that exists, Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King. Those require an initial investment of something like $3 million. Pita Pit is more like a quarter million. That’s much more feasible in my situation.”

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based Pita Pit, which has 170 locations, has reduced its franchise fee from $25,000 to $20,000 for new franchisees like Burgoon and is encouraging its existing franchise owners to open additional locations by lowering their franchise fee to $15,000. The corporation has also reduced its monthly royalties from the industry-standard 6 percent of sales to 4 percent for existing franchisees for the first year and 5 percent for the remainder of the standard 10-year contract...

(READ MORE)

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

'Busy' Pita Pit Featured in Sioux City Journal

Tom Cruse and his Sioux City Pita Pit location were recently featured in the Sioux City Journal. The article talks about Cruse’s entrepreneur story and also about the Pita Pit concept. Below is a sample of the article including a link to the original article.

'Busy' Pita Pit comes to Marketplace
By Joanne Fox

As fast as you can babaganoush, you can be served at the Pita Pit. OK, maybe not that fast, but close.

The newest addition to the Marketplace Shopping Centre is this international chain which touts quality, healthy, fresh food -- fast.

With an informal atmosphere and a varied and tasty menu selection, Pita Pit owners -- former Sioux Cityans Tom and Annette Cruse of Mason City, Iowa and Mark and Michele Lennon of Sioux City -- have been buoyed by the response of customers since opening the doors Nov. 12. 2009.

"We knew we'd be busy," Michele said. "We never dreamed we'd be this busy."

The Cruses opened a Pita Pit, 2927 Hamilton Blvd., 14 months ago in Mason City, but Tom Cruse (yes, he gets lots of comments on the name) was no stranger to the restaurant industry. His parents, Les and Peggy Cruse, closed out a 25-year career in 1996 after owning and operating Cruse's Restaurants on Stone Ave. and Hamilton Blvd.

"I did a lot of investigating before I decided on the Pita Pit," Tom said. "I liked the idea that it was easy to run, easy for the customer to make choices and easy for employees to prepare the orders."

(READ MORE)

Pita Pit Q&A in Nation's Restaurant News

Pita Pit was recently featured in Nation's Restaurant News in an article entitled, "Pita Pit Seeks its Fans Again, Then Builds Out". Mark Brandau composed the article and did a great job discussing Pita Pit's growth strategy and how offering a healthy and quick option is something that sets Pita Pit apart from the competition. He also discussed Pita Pit's strong connection to the college demographic and how this influences Pita Pit's national expansion plans. Below is a link to the digital version of the article.

Pita Pit Seeks its Fans Again, Then Builds Out
By: Mark Brandau
(Digital Version of Nation's Restaurant News)

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.

(READ MORE)

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

(READ MORE)

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.

(READ MORE)