THE COLONY Texas Pizza Inn Inc., parent to the 325-unit franchised chain based here, will open a new prototype restaurant, and the second corporate location, this week in Denton, Texas.
The corporate owned and operated unit near the University of North Texas campus will offer dine-in, to-go and delivery services, as well as the chain’s well-known buffet. It will serve Pizza Inn’s traditional thin and thick crust pizzas as well as wings, pasta, sandwiches and salads.
“This prototype is the future of Pizza Inn,” said Charlie Morrison, president and chief executive. “It showcases our commitment to quality and family, as we reconnect to the best parts of our 50-year history.”
The Denton location is the second revamped Pizza Inn restaurant, following the remodeling of a location in Plano, completed in July, which featured a new, stand-alone salad bar. Company officials said last month the new salad bar boosted incremental sales, especially among women.
The pizza chain has been working on a brand turnaround and through its latest full year ended in June, as reported last month, the chain posted a 3.5 percent increase in same-store buffet sales. Its annual revenues rose nearly 7 percent from the year earlier to $49.5 million.
The opening festivities for the Denton location will include the re-introduced Pizza Inn brand icon, JoJo The Pizza Man, who will perform a daredevil stunt, jumping over 50 thin-crust pizzas on a motorcycle.