The numbers are as staggering as a giant pizza pie. According to statistics from Franchise Disclosure Documents, Americans eat on average 100 acres of pizza daily or 250 slices per second. Equally impressive, 93 percent of Americans eat at least one pizza per month, easily making pizza the most popular dinner choice in the country.
Sarpino’s USA, based in Lincolnshire, Ill., finds itself right in the middle of the hotter-than-ever pizza industry after a busy 2015 that saw several of its locations post stellar sales gains, the opening of its first corporate location in South Florida and the introduction of an innovative loyalty program.
Sarpino’s Pizzeria serves only the highest-quality gourmet and specialty pizzas. The Sarpino’s Pizzeria recipe includes hand-kneaded dough that is allowed to proof three times to fully develop its flavor and texture along with a sauce made from ripe tomatoes and a secret, authentic mix of Italian herbs and spices. Finally, Sarpino’s Pizzeria uses a unique gourmet cheese blend that includes fresh whole-milk mozzarella and Edam cheese from LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy in Wisconsin.
That savory combination of ingredients and processes that go into every Sarpino’s Pizzeria pizza is obviously enough to whet the appetites of its loyal customers, given that four Sarpino’s Pizzeria locations (Fallbrook, Texas; La Grange, Ill.; Vivion, Mo.; and Chaska, MInn.) increased same-store sales by at least 25 percent in 2015.
Formerly a franchise-only system, Sarpino’s USA also announced in October that it would be opening corporate stores in the South Florida area based on the outstanding sales of its franchised locations.
Now open, the Fort Lauderdale location is serving as a test for Sarpino’s Pizzeria multi-unit management program, said Vasili Bykau, the company’s Performance Improvement Consultant, who added that there are plans to open an additional store in the area in 2016.
Pizza is a $40 billion industry in the United States and pizza restaurants make up approximately 17 percent of all restaurants in the nation. Known for the outstanding attention it puts on the entire process of delivering a pizza to its customers, Sarpino’s Pizzeria fans flock to the brand for its 83 different gourmet pizzas, calzones and other delicious menu items.
With 49 locations in eight states, Sarpino’s Pizzeria added three franchised locations in 2015 in Gurnee and Glen Ellyn, Ill., and West St. Paul, Minn. This year, the chain is focusing on opening additional stores in the Fort Lauderdale market, as well as Kansas City and Atlanta, where the first Sarpino’s Pizzeria opened in that market in November 2014 and a franchisee recently signed a deal to open 11 additional stores in the midtown and downtown areas.
With increased growth comes more customers, and to reward their devotion to Sarpino’s Pizzeria the chain also introduced two new loyalty programs in 2015 with an interesting twist: customers are not only rewarded for every purchase, but also for their feedback and when they refer a friend.
With 2016 bringing a fresh new year, Sarpino’s Pizzeria will be introducing some fresh new menu items, including tasty stromboli – a long, rectangular turnover typically filled with cheese, meats and vegetables. Consideration is also being given to adding limited-time seasonal specialties to the menu throughout the year.
It’s no wonder then that Sarpino’s Pizzeria is aiming to become the preferred choice of pizza lovers across the country by providing a guaranteed gourmet experience with unmatched convenience. In other words, an experience that’s “Conveniently Gourmet.” Stay tuned.
Sarpino’s Pizzeria currently has 49 fully operational locations in eight states across the U.S. They have a total of 65 fully executed franchise agreements. They expect to have several more locations open by the end of 2016 and 300 locations within five years. Target markets with current store opportunities include Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
