Sports bar chain Beef ‘O’ Brady’s recently departed from its core menu offerings of burgers, burritos, bowls and Buffalo wings to join the pizza game.
In August, the 209-unit casual-dining restaurant introduced full-sized pizzas and appetizer-sized flatbreads on lavash.
Chief executive Chris Elliott said he and his team have been working on the new platform since he took the helm of the company in 2010.
“We studied the customer base and got to understand that Beefs is an interesting concept in that it appeals to families with children and to sports fans. We thought pizza would be a natural fit,” Elliott said.
However, initial focus groups weren’t so sure.
“First they were skeptical about it,” he said. “They said, ‘Look, if you can do a really good pizza that will make you credible; that would be a good fit.’”
Elliott also knew that the pizza had to work within franchisees’ operational framework and not be too costly to implement.
“When we started this process, part of the selling point was that pizza has great margins, great customer appeal and great [perceived] value for the customer,” Elliott said.
The chain started experimenting with pizza in 2011, bringing in pizza presses to flatten out the dough, which was then proofed in coolers.
Through trial and error, that process was streamlined, and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s ultimately went with dough made according to the chain’s specifications that arrives pre-formed and frozen, ready for topping and baking.
“This dough was formulated specifically to be handled that way,” Elliott said.
Other than the dough, not many new items have had to be purchased by franchisees — just a few toppings such as pepperoni, sausage and whole-milk mozzarella. Additionally, the chain upgraded its marinara sauce.
Despite the fact that the price of cheese — the most costly ingredient in pizza — hit record highs in the spring, Elliott said the pizza has been well received by franchisees.
“When things don’t work, we get pushback, but when they work, [franchisees] embrace them. They’re driving incremental traffic, which is hard to come by in casual dining,” he said.
Elliott noted that the reception is particularly encouraging since the company didn’t start promoting the pizza until Monday, when it dropped its first direct mail promotion. A TV campaign will start the week of Sept. 1.
Meet the menu
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Apart from regular cheese and pepperoni pies and a build-your-own option starting at $9.99, plus $1.29 for each topping addition, the following specialty pizzas are available:
• Devine Swine (Meat Lovers): Pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, bacon, ham and ground black Angus beef
• The Kitchen Sink: Pepperoni, bacon, sausage, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, diced tomatoes and peppadew peppers
• The Great White: Garlic Parmesan sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and sliced tomatoes
• Beef’s Buffalo Chicken: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s chicken wing sauce, chicken breast meat, diced tomatoes and a choice of blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
The flatbreads are available in three flavors:
• Chipotle Philly: Philly steak meat, chipotle mayonnaise, sautéed onions, green peppers and mozzarella
• Spicy Garlic Chicken: Spicy garlic sauce, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, celery and ranch dressing
• Veggie: Mushrooms; diced peppadew peppers; green pepper; red onions; and Cheddar, Jack and Parmesan cheeses.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
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