Company’s 2011 National Franchise Convention convenes, prepares for 25th anniversary
DALLAS – February 10, 2011 – Pizza Patrón awarded Rick and Monica Sparkman the Patrón of the Year award at its 2011 National Franchise Convention. The brand, who will celebrate its 25th year in business in April, held the convention in the downtown historic Hilton hotel in Fort Worth, Texas Jan. 24 and 25.
“It was an exciting convention. The company is always ahead of the curve as far as planning our brand position and how to best reach our core audience,” said Rick Sparkman. “I’m proud to be a part of this organization and to have received this award.”
The Sparkmans have been with Pizza Patron for seven years, and are multi-unit operators with four stores and one under construction in Houston. Their current, under-construction location, will be the first Quick Service Pizza™ (QSP™) model for Houston, and it is being built from the ground up at 5800 Bellaire Blvd.
“I’m looking forward to introducing this model to the Houston market,” said Rick Sparkman. “The QSP™ restaurant offers customers the option of drive-thru or lobby service, and it features newly developed FastBake III™ technology that allows customers to get custom baked pizzas in under four minutes. It’s one of the industry’s first truly great innovations in decades.”
“We had a great convention with a lot to celebrate in 2011 as we approach our Aniversario de Plata (25th anniversary) in April,” said Andrew Gamm, brand director for Pizza Patrón. “Rick and Monica epitomize the Patrón spirit, and have played a key role in helping us make many improvements to our brand over the years. The Patrón of the Year, our top honor for franchise partners, was well deserved and overdue for the Sparkmans.”
Pizza Patrón has been credited with creating the country’s first chain of Latin focused pizza restaurants. The company currently operates 100 stores in seven states and plans to have 750 stores nationwide within a decade. Over 90 percent of Pizza Patrón restaurants in the U.S. are owned and operated by franchisees.
About Pizza Patrón
Pizza Patrón, America’s #1 Latin pizza brand, offers traditional pizza, wings and sides in its community based, Latin-influenced 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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