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Fast Food Maven ~ Restaurant news, trends and culture by Nancy Luna.

Archive for the 'Pizza' Category

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Give Pizza Hut’s new Twitter exec a title, win free pizza

October 23rd, 2009, 8:59 am by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

cokebottlesMaven Contest alert: Answer our booze trivia and get a free set of new Coke bottles. Details here.
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Give Pizza Hut’s Tweet-happy social media intern Alexa Robinson a gold star!

The UNC-Chapel Hill 2009 graduate has turned an internship as Pizza Hut’s social media wonk into a permanent paying gig.  The chain hired Robinson this week and is now looking for Pizza Hut fans to give her a real title.

twinternAfter all, she needs something better than “Twintern” to put on her new business cards.  Pizza Hut will give free pizza for a year to the person who submits the winning title.

So far, Alexa is mulling over titles such as “Chief Creative Tweeter” and “Social Twitterfly.”

I’ve already Tweeted her my ideas.

Alexa goes from Pizza Hut Twintern to....

Alexa goes from Pizza Hut Twintern to....

Suggestions will be accepted now until Nov. 30. Alexa will select her favorite consumer-generated submission and put it on her business card. The person who submits the winning entry will be awarded pizza for a year (in the form of $599 in Pizza Hut gift cards) from Pizza Hut.

To submit an idea, log on to Twitter.com and post a comment directed to @pizzahut with your suggestion, tagging it with the hashtag #PizzaHutTitle. (Official Rules).

Posted in: Fast food news • Marketing Buzz • Pizza • • | 5 Comments »

Domino’s ‘extra cheesy’ deals, gift card giveaway

October 19th, 2009, 9:14 am by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

dominos_pepppizzaxcheese

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) is kicking off its national customer appreciation week today with three major deals and giveaways.

1) Extra Cheesy delivery deal: During the week of Oct. 19, Domino’s customers can get a large one-topping pizza with extra cheese for $5.99. No limit, so order as many as you want.

2) Free pizza for a year: Domino’s marketing crews will be canvassing neighborhoods near Domino’s Pizza locations all week. If you find a Domino’s flier on your car windshield that has the “No. 256″ on it, you win free Domino’s pizza for a year.

3) Twitter gift card giveaway: With every 599 new  Twitter followers, Domino’s will randomly hand out gift cards.  The gift card amount will increase from $20 to $100 with every new 599 followers.

Customer appreciation week goes from today to Oct. 25.

Posted in: Fast food news • Marketing Buzz • Pizza • Value Deals • | 39 Comments »

Straw Hat closes in Orange

October 7th, 2009, 8:54 pm by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
strawhat-closed

Lights out Wednesday night at Straw Hat in Orange

Straw Hat Pizza, which made a brief Orange County comeback, closed its restaurant in Orange.

I drove by the location tonight after reader Nancee sent me an email. Sure enough, the lights were definitely out at 8 p.m. The old telephone number was also disconnected.

The website states the Orange and Moreno Valley restaurants are “closed for remodel.” So, it is unclear if the pizza stores will re-open.

A convenience store worker next to Straw Hat told me: “It is closed forever.”

Stay tuned.

The new Straw Hat, which debuted in January, was among several to open by the end of this year.   (List of other Straw Hat locations.) Another one is planned soon in Malibu.

Other restaurant closures:

Posted in: Fast food news • Pizza • restaurant closures • | 16 Comments »

5th largest pizza chain debuting in O.C.

August 24th, 2009, 6:32 am by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

papamurphys_460

Papa Murphy’s, the nation’s 5th-largest pizza chain that allows diners to bake their own food, will soon open its first two Orange County restaurants.

“Everything we sell is unbaked. We have no ovens and no freezers,” chain reps say.

The first O.C. pizza joint will open Wednesday (8/26) at 33621 Del Obispo in the Albertsons shopping center in Dana Point. The next Papa Murphy’s is slated to open Sept. 1 in San Clemente. Address:   638 Camino De Lpapamurphys-logoos Mares, across from Trader Joe’s.

The lowdown: Papa Murphy’s operates 1,150 units in 32 states and Canada. The Vancouver, Wash.-based chain specializes in custom-made pizzas made from dough prepared daily in stores using high proteinpapamurphys_med2
wheat flour. Customers  “take and bake” pizzas at home.  Restaurants do not deliver.

The chain is also known for its appetizers and side dishes such as Cheesy Bread, Cinnamon Wheels and chocolate chip cookie dough.

Tell us: Anyone a Papa Murphy’s fan? What did you think about the take-and-bake concept?

Related stories:


Posted in: Fast food news • Pizza • Restaurant openings • | 82 Comments »

Starbucks, fast-food chains see mixed results

July 22nd, 2009, 8:31 am by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

dominos_logo.jpgToday many restaurant chains released same-store sales data for July, as well as quarterly earnings. And the results are not pretty for some of the nation’s biggest chains. However, things look better for Starbucks and Pei Wei.

Take a look:

  • July same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, slipped 6.1 percent at Carl’s Jr. and 3.6 percent at Hardee’s. Same-store sales are a key indicator of a restaurant’s financial health. (AP) Things could get worse for Carl’s Jr. , home of the original premium Six Dollar Angus burger, as McDonald’s pushes its Angus burger nationally. MENU ALERT: Some good news for fans of Hardee’s biscuits: Carl’s Jr. said it is testing Hardee’s Made-From-Scratch Biscuits at a Carl’s Jr. location in Buena Park, . “This test is looking very encouraging so far and we are now planning to expand the test to a wider group of restaurants. While the initial sales results have been strong, we are now working through both equipment and operations issues in the wider test.”
  • Domino’s Pizza said second-quarter profit fell less than expected. Domino’s, which competes with Yum Brands Inc’s Pizza Hut and Papa John’s International Inc, said net income fell to $14.5 million in the quarter that ended June 14.  That’s down from a $18.7 million from the same period a year ago. (Reuters) The good news is that Domino’s is still making money. The bad news: it is not making as much as did last year. Maybe the constant discount-bailout promotions are hurting the chain. What do you think?
  • PF Chang’s reported earnings of $11.6 million, up from $9.4 million in the same quarter a year ago. Same-store sales at the company’s
    Carl's Jr. won't cut prices

    Carl's Jr. won't cut prices. Is that hurting the chain?

    namesake locations fell 6.8 percent on declining guest traffic and a drop in the average check. Pei Wei same-store sales edged down 0.1 percent on an average check decline that was mostly offset by increased traffic.  (AP) So it looks like sales at PF Chang’s  fast-casual sister brand is helping boost profits at the company.  I’ve talked to many restaurant industry leaders, and most say flat same-store sales are considered “positive” news in this economic climate. So great job Pei Wei.

  • Sales at Starbucks established U.S. stores for the third-quarter fell 6 percent, the chain reported on Tuesday. Still, the chain reported quarterly profit of  $151.5 million, compared with a loss of $6.7 million a year earlier. (AP)  Starbucks appears to be seeing the benefits of major company cuts and store closures.  How long can this turnaround last?

Tell us: What do you think of the state of the industry?

Posted in: Burger Joints • Cafes and Coffee • Fast food news • McDonald's • Pizza • Starbucks • • • • • | 8 Comments »

Pizza Hut launches iPhone/iTouch application

July 17th, 2009, 11:55 am by Staff Writer, the Orange County Register

pizzahutapplication1Previously, Live On the Go launched an online ordering program for the iPhone, iTouch, and Blackberry.

Now, Pizza Hut has launched its own application on the Apps Store for iPhone and iTouch. Users will be able to download the application for free and order pizza within a touch.

The application also shows different coupons in the deals section that can be used for each purchase.

For more details about the application click here.

(by Miki Fujiwara/Staff writer-intern)

Posted in: Fast food news • Online food ordering • Pizza • • • • | Post a Comment »

Is new pizza parlor biggest in O.C.?

July 13th, 2009, 9:32 am by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

John’s Incredible Pizza in Buena Park opens today, and it just might be Orange County’s largest pizza parlor.

A few vitals: The 60,000-square-foot pizza joint consumes the entire lower level of the Buena Park  mall. The dining and gaming facility features themed dining rooms, games, rides and can serve up to 800 pizzas an hour.

It can seat up 900 customers.

The restaurant features a forest of video and skill games, bumper cars, a miniature six-lane bowling alley and Twister, a ride that can rise into the air and tip, all while carrying 24 passengers.

Yowza! That’s pretty big…

Read full story on John’s Incredible Pizza at OCRegister.com.

John’s Incredible Pizza

Address:  8601 On The Mall
Buena Park, CA 90620
714-236-0000

Related stories:


Posted in: Pizza • Restaurant openings | 15 Comments »

Baja Fresh, Pat & Oscar’s new Value Menus

July 9th, 2009, 6:16 am by Staff Writer, the Orange County Register

patandoscars5Two big Southern California fast-casual chains are finally joining the ‘value menu’ game.

Pat & Oscar’s rolled out this week a $5 value menu dubbed “Five Big Choices, Five Little Bucks.” The menu features a variety of individual pizzas for $5.

Five choices include: Buffalo Chicken, Hawaiian, BBQ Chicken, Meat Lovers and the Pat & Oscar’s signature San Diego Pizza.

For $2 more, customers can get the individual pizza combo with a 20-ounce drink and a choice of side (salad, soup or potato wedges).

The San Diego-based chain said the value pizzas are a permanent addition to the chain’s menu. More discounted eats are expected to launch through out the year, the chain said. (Related story: Consumers continue to value hunt)

So stay tuned.

Next up, Baja Fresh. The Cypress-based fresh-Mex chain is testing a Value Menu in six restaurants in the U.S., including a few in Orange County.  (see locations below) Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Fast food news • Food Prices • Marketing Buzz • Mexican Food • Pizza • Value Deals • • • • | 11 Comments »

Straw Hat, Round Table 50-cent pizza deals

July 8th, 2009, 9:38 pm by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

Originally posted on OC Deals blog by Miki Fujiwara

strawhat-pizzaIn celebration of its 50th anniversary, Straw Hat Pizza is offering 50 cent pizzas and sodas in July.

Dine-in customers can receive an individual cheese pizza for 50 cents every Monday of July. Dine-in customers can also receive a regular-sized soda for 50 cents every Wednesday of July.

The Special Anniversary Menu is also available Friday through Sunday with large original crust pizza with a topping of your choice for $6.99. (dine-in or take-out)

The only Straw Hat in O.C. is in Orange is at 1716 W. Chapman Ave. Others near O.C. are in Long Beach, Cerritos, Chino, and Riverside. (Locations)

Don’t forget: Straw Hat in Orange offers a 2-for-1 pizza night on Tuesdays.

Posted in: Fast food news • Pizza • Value Deals • | 14 Comments »

Pizza Hut July 4 special

July 1st, 2009, 12:08 pm by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

If you’re ordering a pizza Saturday, Pizza Hut is offering this incentive for you: free stuffed pizza rolls.

But, there’s a catch: To get the freebie, you must order a large pizza online. You must also enter a special code that the chain will release Saturday morning via its Twitter and Facebook pages.

More July 4 food specials can be found at OCDeals blog.

Posted in: Fast food news • Pizza • Value Deals • | 1 Comment »

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