THE COLONY, Texas, Dec. 29, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pizza Inn (Nasdaq:PZZI), an international pizza restaurant chain with more than 300 restaurants in 11 countries, ranked No. 24 in the longevity category and #225 overall in a comprehensive analysis of more than 800 franchise systems by AllBusiness.com.
The rankings assessed the strengths of franchising companies based upon criteria such as Web visibility and the latest financial strength scores from Dun & Bradstreet.
A newcomer to the AllStar list, Pizza Inn has provided consumers with a variety of specialty and traditional handcrafted pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts in a dine-in buffet format with delivery and carryout for over 50 years. The company popularized a unique thin crackery crust that is made from scratch everyday and has since become the signature product offering. Pizza Inn is also known for its assortment of Pizzerts, a dessert pizza, as well as local pizza flavors available to consumers at their request. Over the years, product offerings have expanded, but the company's commitment to the highest quality ingredients, the friendliest service and affordable pricing have remained unchanged.
"We are honored to be recognized as an All Star in the franchise industry," said Charlie Morrison, CEO of Pizza Inn, Inc. "While many business owners are still finding it difficult to obtain the financing to expand their business portfolios, we are continuing to see positive signs of growth within our business."
To further augment the company's growth, Pizza Inn recently launched a development incentive program to entice franchisees otherwise discouraged by the current credit market. The incentive program offers a 50 percent reduction in the initial Franchise Fee from $25,000 to only $12,500, a 50 percent reduction in royalties for year one from 4 percent to 2 percent and the same 50 percent reduction in royalties for year two, with years three and beyond at the standard 4 percent. Pizza Inn is seeking single and multi-unit franchisees, as well as area developers in select regions of the country. This incentive applies to new construction of U.S. buffet restaurants only.
In January 2009, Pizza Inn was also named Pizza Chain of the Year by Pizza Marketplace.com
For more information on franchise opportunities with Pizza Inn and the development incentive program, please visit www.pizzainn.com or contact Madison Jobe, Vice President of Development, at (800) 284-3466.
About Pizza Inn
Headquartered in The Colony, TX, Pizza Inn, Inc., is an international pizza chain featuring traditional and specialty pizzas, as well as freshly made pastas, sandwiches, and desserts. Founded in 1958, publicly traded Pizza Inn (Nasdaq:PZZI) franchises approximately 310 restaurants and directly owns and operates three restaurants. For more information, please visit www.pizzainn.com.
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