Pizzeria UNO Wraps Up Q1 with Impressive Momentum and Continued Focus on Hotel Partnerships

Pizzeria Uno, the iconic pizzeria franchise and inventor of Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, is kicking off 2023 strong. After opening five new locations last year, Pizzeria Uno is continuing to see a robust pipeline of qualified franchisee prospects, particularly those looking to take advantage of the brand’s hotel-restaurant conversion strategy.

“We attribute much of our recent success to our franchise model and new focus on hotel restaurant conversions,” said Erik Frederick, Pizzeria Uno CEO. “We have operated a successful franchise model for over 40 years and continue to bring in franchisees who have a passion for the brand and the pizza to fuel our restaurant growth. Notably, some of the franchisees that have opened have already signed on for more locations after seeing great success from partnering with the brand. The hotel restaurant conversion model will be a major source of growth for the brand moving forward.”

There are currently four Pizzeria Uno hotel locations, all of which have been opened in the past 12 months, and several scheduled to open later this year. All four existing locations have multiplied their food and beverage sales by “one to three times” since converting their restaurants to Pizzeria Uno.

Pizzeria Uno’s business model translates to five lucrative revenue streams for hotel operators: increased revenue from dine-in for hotel guests, take-out for hotel guests, take-out and/or delivery sales from the local community, dine-in revenue from people in the surrounding area who typically would not come to dine at a hotel restaurant and the potential addition of group sales driven by an experienced group sales team and system.

“As Pizzeria Uno franchisees, hotel owners can enjoy lower customer acquisition costs and a higher capture rate,” said Frederick. “Consumers already know the Unos brand, which means hotel owners can gain additional guests due to the presence of a nationally known and respected restaurant brand.”

In addition to increased revenue, Pizzeria Uno can provide hotel owners with a stronger ROI due to the concept’s uniquely low start-up costs. Since hotel operators likely already have most of the equipment and kitchen in place, Frederick says conversion costs are minimized compared to opening a new restaurant. Hotel owners will also likely lower their overall food costs just by virtue of selling pizza, which is uniquely low-cost compared to other cuisines.

This opportunity is ideal for hotel operators interested in converting their current hotel restaurant to a Pizzeria Uno branded restaurant, especially if they are planning a remodel of their current restaurant. “The incremental costs to convert to a Pizzeria Uno as part of an already planned remodel are relatively small. The required company standard items are not overly expensive above the work already being done to renovate” added Frederick.

“Unlike a lot of franchise concepts that are focused on geographical areas, Uno is all about finding the right people,” said Frederick. “People who have a passion for the brand. We can tell just by the way someone runs their hotel that they take hospitality very seriously. They’re pristine and their employees are incredibly friendly. We’ve had to say no to potential franchisees because they didn’t fit with the culture. We have a no jerk rule in our franchise system.”

Looking ahead to the rest of 2023, Pizzeria Uno is targeting 10 to 15 new units, with more expected in the years ahead.

For more information on investing in a Pizzeria Uno franchise, visit :www.1851franchise.com/pizzeriauno