New Positioning Designed to Focus and Improve Service on Both Sides of the Counter
After months of reviewing consumer research and targeted work with Evok Advertising, its agency of record, Pita Pit is launching their new ‘Fresh Grilled, Flavor Filled’ campaign nationwide. This positioning arrives as the company looks to distinguish itself among the growing quick service industry by taking a new approach to its fresh thinking, healthy eating history. The overarching goal of the campaign is to empower guests to explore an array of flavors and product combinations all enhanced by its signature flattop grills.
“When we were crafting this campaign, we wanted to consider how it influenced every level of our organization from our Pit Crew to our Executive Team,” said D. Patrick O’Dell, Pita Pit Director of Marketing. “These were important conversations, especially when it came to improving our customer service and our messaging to guests. The next step was to gain buy-in from our entire franchise system and to commit to excellence in training and product knowledge so we could make a memorable product every time for our customers.”
The campaign is designed with the Tastemaker in mind; those who love to make, create and ideate an endless variety of menu possibilities. By bringing those products to the forefront, Pita Pit is able to better showcase the delicious flavors that guests can create by using the flattop grill and combining a selection of grilled meats, fresh vegetables, cheeses and sauces all wrapped in the brand’s trademark soft pita bread. As consumers continue to flock toward healthier and more customizable meal options, the brand is poised to capture additional market share in the growing quick-serve segment.
Pita Pit spent months researching decision making factors most important to its customers’ restaurant selection and established this research as the framework for the campaign. The research showed the brand’s loyal fans considered one thing above all else: great tasting, grilled to order food. Quality, freshness and the availability of healthier options were key secondary drivers for their customers. The new “Fresh Grilled, Flavor Filled” campaign capitalizes on all of those trends by reinforcing the brand’s attributes with its unique flavors and made to order approach.
“We felt it was critical to listen to our brand loyalists and learn what they loved most about the company after 20 years,” said Corey Bowman, Pita Pit President. “We were actually somewhat surprised by the results, but believe we absolutely have one of the best tasting products out there because we utilize the grill to its full potential.”
Alongside the new campaign, Pita Pit will officially launch its new limited time offer, the Chicken Souvlaki Trio. The Chicken Souvlaki Trio gives customers three exciting new ways to order the brand’s number one selling Chicken Souvlaki pita: the Signature Zeus, made with Greek seasoned chicken, hummus and a fusion of Sriracha and Tzatziki sauce, the Savory Asian Chicken, featuring the unmistakable taste of teriyaki, and the Smokehouse Chicken with a flavorful combination of bacon, barbecue sauce and Ancho-Chipotle Sauce.
“With our focus on taste, we wanted to feature one of our Greek-inspired customer favorites: the Souvlaki chicken. The Trio was designed to showcase some unique combinations that customers probably hadn’t considered before. Chef Chris Kline, an acclaimed executive chef at Tyson Chicken, took a look at the flavor profiles of the Souvlaki chicken and some of our available sauces and helped us create three variations that we think will quickly become fan favorites,” said O’Dell.
The mission statement for the organization remains the same as it was since the brand’s founding more than two decades ago: that Pita Pit exists to change lives for the better by creating a fresh alternative to the status quo.
“We view this new campaign as a fresh alternative and are hoping that it resonates with our loyal fans. We want to offer them a unique promise that every time they walk in or get a pita delivered to their door, that it will be filled with big, bold flavors grilled to perfection,” Bowman said.
Since opening its first restaurant in the U.S. in 1999, Pita Pit Inc. has continued to be one of the fastest-growing fast-casual restaurant franchises in the country. Offering a healthier and tastier alternative to traditional fast food, Pita Pit’s fresh, made-to-order pita sandwiches feature a variety of lean grilled meats, fresh vegetables, flavorful cheeses, and zesty sauces all rolled up in a unique and convenient package. The company was founded in Ontario, Canada in 1995 and Pita Pit Inc. was acquired in 2005 by the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based Pita Pit USA. Now boasting more than 600 locations across 11 countries, Pita Pit is recognized as No. 1 in its category in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500. Simply put, Pita Pit is Fresh Thinking and Healthy Eating. Learn more at www.pitapitusa.com.
