NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CiCi's Pizza, home of the endless pizza, pasta, salad and dessert buffet, announced plans today to open up to 15 new restaurants in the New York City/Northern New Jersey area over the next five years. Executives with the company have targeted Long Island, Staten Island and Jersey City among potential communities for development with the goal of finding the right franchise partners to operate the restaurants.
With approximately 500 restaurants in 34 states, Coppell, Texas-based CiCi's Pizza is best known for its family-friendly atmosphere, endless variety of pizzas on its custom buffet and freshly-made dough at an affordable price. After conducting extensive research, including area demographics and other factors, CiCi's Pizza executives found NYC/Northern New Jersey to be an ideal selection for expansion of the brand.
"We're 100 percent committed to building our brand presence in the New York City and New Jersey areas and believe the specific territories we've identified for development are ripe for sustained success," said Thomas McCord, VP of Real Estate and Franchise Development at CiCi's Pizza. "We've thoroughly examined the market and found that the demand for our pizza buffet concept continues to grow. We're eager to find franchise owners who are passionate about delivering on our promise to consistently serve delicious food in a welcoming environment."
Within the greater NYC/Northern New Jersey area, executives with CiCi's Pizza find the following communities to be viable options for expansion: Union, Yonkers, Harrison, Clifton, Elmwood Park, Staten Island, Patchogue, Trumbull, Watchung, Bay Shore, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Garden City, Linded, Piscataway, Somerset, Woodbridge, Valley Stream and Ocean. To jumpstart the development, company executives are meeting with prospective single and multi-unit franchise owners while also searching for additional well-qualified franchisees.
Each new CiCi's Pizza will positively impact the local economy by creating about 40-50 new jobs and awarding roughly $280,000 in local development contracts. From an investor's perspective, CiCi's Pizza offers four distinct revenue streams: the custom buffet, catering, To Go orders and the game room. Moreover, multiple prototypes are available to new franchisees designed to maximize profits for the owner and allow for penetration for improved brand availability. Restaurant design options include the traditional buffet model, To Go units and an Express prototype currently under test.
The NYC/Northern New Jersey development is part of a much larger company mission to aggressively grow the brand in the coming years. To help augment brand growth in new and mature markets, CiCi's Pizza has developed several financing and incentive programs, including its Patriot Program that offers veterans a better path to business ownership, to assist prospective franchisees with funding options. During 2013, the company will also explore growth potential internationally, as well as in nontraditional venues such as airports, casinos, military bases and universities.
In addition to the affordable food, variety and family-friendly atmosphere, the new CiCi's Pizza locations will be well-embraced in the area because of the brand's commitment to community outreach. Since the company's inception, CiCi's Pizza franchisees have crafted a charitable culture by partnering with local schools, churches and sports leagues.
Founded in 1985, CiCi's custom pizza buffet is always fresh and stocked with nearly 30 piping hot pizzas in rotation, crisp salads, hot soup, oven-baked desserts and more. Guests also have the option of requesting made-to-order pizzas that are delivered right to the table. In 2012, CiCi's was named America's favorite pizza chain according to a national study of more than 7,600 consumers conducted by Market Force, a customer intelligence solutions agency. For more information about the CiCi's Pizza franchise opportunity, please visit www.cicispizza.com/franchising.
About CiCi's Pizza
Coppell, Texas-based CiCi's Pizza opened its first restaurant in Plano, Texas, in 1985 and now has approximately 500 restaurants in 34 states. The family-oriented restaurant, known for its endless pizza, pasta, salad, soup and dessert buffet, was named America's favorite pizza chain in the 2012 Market Force survey and has been listed by Zagat and Parents magazine as a top family-friendly restaurant. Also in 2012, CiCi's fully redesigned website was honored as an outstanding website by WebAwards, CiCi's was recognized by G.I. Jobs as a Military Friendly Franchise®, and Entrepreneur named CiCi's to its Franchise 500 list. For more information about CiCi's, visit www.cicispizza.com or www.facebook.com/cicis.
For franchising information, contact Michael Iglesias at miglesias@cicispizza.com, 972.745.9313.