.jpg/2000px-Pizza_Factory_in_Groveland_(9198439810).jpg)
Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Pizza Factory
Pizza Factory Inc. is a chain of pizza restaurants in the western United States, based in Oakhurst, California. The company began in 1979, when Danny Wheeler and his wife Carol opened Danny's Red Devil Pizza in Oakhurst. Ron Willey and his wife Joyce subsequently opened a second location in 1981, known as Pizza Factory.
In 1986, Wheeler and Willey began franchising the company under the Pizza Factory name. By 2000, the company had expanded throughout the western U.S. In 2012, longtime franchisee and marketing team member Mary Jane Riva purchased the company and became its president and chief executive officer. As of 2016, Pizza Factory had 115 locations in six U.S. states.
In 1979, Danny Wheeler and his wife Carol purchased a pizza restaurant for $5,000; they opened it as Danny's Red Devil Pizza, located on California State Route 41 in Oakhurst, California, near Yosemite National Park. Ron Willey and his wife Joyce were frequent customers at the restaurant. In 1981, the Willeys opened a second location in Mariposa, California, known as Pizza Factory.
By 1982, the Wheelers and the Willeys had been approached by friends who desired to open their own Pizza Factory restaurants. The couples allowed the use of the Pizza Factory name for a fee and also helped to set up the new restaurants in small towns across the San Joaquin Valley. Carol Wheeler and Joyce Willey wanted to protect the food's consistency and convinced their husbands to begin franchising the company starting in 1986. Danny Wheeler and Ron Willey owned the company with their wives. The couples chose to open their restaurants in small towns with fewer than 15,000 people, as they did not believe they could compete against larger companies in metropolitan areas.
The overall investment for franchisees is between $274,000 to $542,000, including a $20,000 franchise fee.[non-primary source needed] The company charges a three-percent royalty fee, which is considered low in comparison to similar franchises. Each restaurant was designed to allow customers to watch as the food was being prepared. Each franchisee was encouraged to add local memorabilia and photos to their restaurant, as well as participate in community events and to support local sports teams. Joyce Willey said about the company's focus on local communities, "It's a throwback to when neighbors knew one another. Our customers are like family."
In 1988, the chain had 36 franchise restaurants, located in California, Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon. Willey said that the company's goal was to add 20 to 25 new restaurant locations each year, with no more than that, as the two couples desired to keep the company small enough to continue overseeing it themselves. The couples' ultimate ideal goal was to have 200 locations by 1992. While most locations had little or no competition, the couples stated that this was not the reason for the success of each franchise. Three training schools were established to teach franchisees about the company and about operating one of its restaurants. The company also sponsored an annual convention, as well as semiannual regional meetings. Each quarter, a field director who was also a franchise owner would inspect each location for cleanliness, uniformity, and consistency of food preparation. As of 1988, Entrepreneur rated Pizza Factory at number 485 on its list of the top 500 franchises in the United States. The magazine noted that it was unusual for a two-year-old company to be included on the list.
By May 1989, the company had grown to include 45 restaurants, located in small towns across six states: Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. At that time, Pizza Factory had launched its first promotional campaign consisting of television, newspaper and radio advertisements, as well as billboards. Pizza Factory had increased its position to number 454 on Entrepreneur's list of the top 500 franchisors in the United States. Rather than expand to additional states, the company planned to focus on opening additional locations in the six states in which it was already operating.
In September 2012, Wheeler and Willey sold the company for an undisclosed amount to Mary Jane Riva, a longtime franchisee and a resident of Murrieta, California. Riva then became the new president and chief executive officer of the company, which had 111 restaurant locations in five western U.S. states. Riva had purchased her first Pizza Factory franchise in Murrieta in 1989; she later sold it, and had owned four other Pizza Factory restaurants, including two in California at the time that she took over the company. During the decade leading up to her company purchase, Riva had joined the Pizza Factory's marketing team and helped to expand the company's presence in southern California.
Hub AI
Pizza Factory AI simulator
(@Pizza Factory_simulator)
Pizza Factory
Pizza Factory Inc. is a chain of pizza restaurants in the western United States, based in Oakhurst, California. The company began in 1979, when Danny Wheeler and his wife Carol opened Danny's Red Devil Pizza in Oakhurst. Ron Willey and his wife Joyce subsequently opened a second location in 1981, known as Pizza Factory.
In 1986, Wheeler and Willey began franchising the company under the Pizza Factory name. By 2000, the company had expanded throughout the western U.S. In 2012, longtime franchisee and marketing team member Mary Jane Riva purchased the company and became its president and chief executive officer. As of 2016, Pizza Factory had 115 locations in six U.S. states.
In 1979, Danny Wheeler and his wife Carol purchased a pizza restaurant for $5,000; they opened it as Danny's Red Devil Pizza, located on California State Route 41 in Oakhurst, California, near Yosemite National Park. Ron Willey and his wife Joyce were frequent customers at the restaurant. In 1981, the Willeys opened a second location in Mariposa, California, known as Pizza Factory.
By 1982, the Wheelers and the Willeys had been approached by friends who desired to open their own Pizza Factory restaurants. The couples allowed the use of the Pizza Factory name for a fee and also helped to set up the new restaurants in small towns across the San Joaquin Valley. Carol Wheeler and Joyce Willey wanted to protect the food's consistency and convinced their husbands to begin franchising the company starting in 1986. Danny Wheeler and Ron Willey owned the company with their wives. The couples chose to open their restaurants in small towns with fewer than 15,000 people, as they did not believe they could compete against larger companies in metropolitan areas.
The overall investment for franchisees is between $274,000 to $542,000, including a $20,000 franchise fee.[non-primary source needed] The company charges a three-percent royalty fee, which is considered low in comparison to similar franchises. Each restaurant was designed to allow customers to watch as the food was being prepared. Each franchisee was encouraged to add local memorabilia and photos to their restaurant, as well as participate in community events and to support local sports teams. Joyce Willey said about the company's focus on local communities, "It's a throwback to when neighbors knew one another. Our customers are like family."
In 1988, the chain had 36 franchise restaurants, located in California, Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon. Willey said that the company's goal was to add 20 to 25 new restaurant locations each year, with no more than that, as the two couples desired to keep the company small enough to continue overseeing it themselves. The couples' ultimate ideal goal was to have 200 locations by 1992. While most locations had little or no competition, the couples stated that this was not the reason for the success of each franchise. Three training schools were established to teach franchisees about the company and about operating one of its restaurants. The company also sponsored an annual convention, as well as semiannual regional meetings. Each quarter, a field director who was also a franchise owner would inspect each location for cleanliness, uniformity, and consistency of food preparation. As of 1988, Entrepreneur rated Pizza Factory at number 485 on its list of the top 500 franchises in the United States. The magazine noted that it was unusual for a two-year-old company to be included on the list.
By May 1989, the company had grown to include 45 restaurants, located in small towns across six states: Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. At that time, Pizza Factory had launched its first promotional campaign consisting of television, newspaper and radio advertisements, as well as billboards. Pizza Factory had increased its position to number 454 on Entrepreneur's list of the top 500 franchisors in the United States. Rather than expand to additional states, the company planned to focus on opening additional locations in the six states in which it was already operating.
In September 2012, Wheeler and Willey sold the company for an undisclosed amount to Mary Jane Riva, a longtime franchisee and a resident of Murrieta, California. Riva then became the new president and chief executive officer of the company, which had 111 restaurant locations in five western U.S. states. Riva had purchased her first Pizza Factory franchise in Murrieta in 1989; she later sold it, and had owned four other Pizza Factory restaurants, including two in California at the time that she took over the company. During the decade leading up to her company purchase, Riva had joined the Pizza Factory's marketing team and helped to expand the company's presence in southern California.