Pizza Patron Brings 'Quick Service Pizza' to Houston

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - May 25, 2011) - Tuesday, May 17, marked the opening of Pizza Patrón's newest Quick Service Pizza (QSP™) restaurant, a freestanding concept designed to bring the convenience and value of fast food to the pizza segment. With the addition of this new QSP unit, Pizza Patrón now has 12 locations serving Houston.

Pizza Patrón's QSP model features a standard QSR drive-thru lane that includes an order menu with a two-way speaker system, and a pick-up window where customers complete the transaction without leaving their car. The store also features the brand's trademark colorful and Latin-influenced lobby created for its 'carry-out' guests.

"Pizza Patrón is the pizza brand to keep your eyes on right now," said Andrew Gamm, Pizza Patrón's brand director. "Our innovative new QSP store model combined with our Hispanic brand focus makes us timely and relevant in today's ultra-competitive marketplace."

Pizza Patrón worked closely with Lincoln Ovens to develop the new fast-bake technology now standard in every QSP location. The fast-bake system bakes pizzas in just over three minutes, allowing made-to-order pizzas to be delivered hot and fresh to customers that prefer the drive-thru experience.

"This is the fifth store I've opened in Houston," said Rick Sparkman, Pizza Patrón franchisee. "And, I feel this is the best model yet. I will only look for locations that are a good fit for this model for every new store I open or build."

Sparkman built this location from the ground up, a first for Pizza Patrón's QSP model.

"Most people are used to waiting 15 to 20 minutes for their pizzas," said Sparkman. "The beauty of this model is that it has potential to change the industry. Why will people wait when they can get their custom-baked pizza in just over three minutes? It's a dramatic difference -- and a fantastic advantage for Pizza Patrón and our customers."

Pizza Patrón continues to be a lightning rod for discussion regarding Hispanics in the U.S. The Dallas-based pizza chain recently opened its 100^th retail location and plans to continue focusing on expanding its retail footprint in new markets through franchising.

About Pizza Patrón
Pizza Patrón, America's #1 Latin pizza brand, offers traditional pizza, wings and sides in its community based, bicultural stores. Pizza Patrón was founded by restaurateur Antonio Swad in 1986, in Dallas, Texas, and today operates 100 dine-in and carry-out restaurants in seven states with 40 more under development. Pizza Patrón has franchise opportunities available in prime markets throughout the country offering a proven system for hard-working franchisee candidates. In 2007, the brand received international news coverage when it decided to accept Mexican Pesos at all of its locations, gaining over 500,000,000 media impressions worth over $30 million in the U.S. alone. The company's medium AMIGO PIZZAS® start as low as $4 and X-Large LISTA-NOW READY™ pepperoni pizzas start as low as $6 all day, every day.

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