Pizza Patrón revamps concession unitsPizza Patrón revamps concession units

Ron Ruggless

DALLAS Pizza Patrón Inc., a 92-unit Latin-theme chain, has just completed a redesign of its six concession units at the American Airlines Center here, and the company’s franchisee has extended the contracts for the venue by five years.

Elements of the redesigned concessions units, which debuted in mid-September by franchisee Levy Restaurants of Chicago, may begin appearing in other Pizza Patrón stores, said Andrew Gamm, the chain’s director of brand development.

“We are incorporating the new artwork style into our standard franchise package,” Gamm said. “Each of our stores has a Latin-style mural on one wall, and we will be incorporating this new design into all future restaurants.”

The Pizza Patron units in the AAC, a sports and entertainment venue, opened last year, and the contract was originally through 2010. “We have finalized a new agreement that runs through 2015 with a one-year extension option,” Gamm said.

The new Pizza Patrón concessions feature a branded environment reminiscent of painted exteriors typically found throughout Mexico and Latin America.

“Our 'wall-wrapping' strategy allowed us to keep the costs very low, around $12,000 per stand,” Gamm explained. “Everything was white tile previously, so it was very institutional looking. We updated every surface that was in the customer's line of site, completely changing the visual perception of the stands. We painted the ceilings, resurfaced and added graphics to every wall and door, constructed frames around the digital menu screens and had custom branded curtains made to separate the kitchen area from the point of sale.”

Joe Skenderian, vice president of business development for the AAC, said, “We love the new look of the six Pizza Patrón locations here at the American Airlines Center.”

Pizza Patrón has stores in six states, and more than 90 percent of the system is franchised.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].