SAN ANTONIO Pizza Patrón, the 84-unit chain aimed at the Latino market, said Tuesday that early sales at its first store offering quicker service have broken company records.
The franchise unit, which opened in August in a densely populated and heavily Hispanic residential community in San Antonio, features new "fast-bake"ovens that produce made-to-order pizzas in less than five minutes. The typical wait for a custom pizza from a traditional Pizza Patrón is 15 minutes. Pizza Patrón calls the concept "quick-service pizza" or QSP.
"The QSP first-week sales were 67 percent higher than the previous store record set in December of 2007 by a new corporate store in Dallas," said Andrew Gamm, director of brand development for Pizza Patrón.
All stores feature the chain’s “Lista - Now Ready” pepperoni pizzas with no wait, but the QSP features three varieties: pepperoni, three meat and Patrona, a deluxe pizza with everything.
“The drive-thru and walk-up windows at our QSP have a goal of serving the most popular pizza options with no wait at all during peak business periods,” Gamm said.
The new unit is the concept's first standalone location and features three areas where customers can order: a drive-thru, a walk-up window and a lobby.
The company said the new pad-site prototype also broadens real estate options, which in the past had been in-line strip shopping center or end caps.
Pizza Patrón, based in Dallas and founded in 1986, began franchising in March 2003 and has grown from four locations then to 84 locations in six states. It also has six concessions outlets at the American Airlines Center arena near downtown Dallas.
