Papa Murphy's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Papa Murphy's is the world's largest take-and-bake pizza company.[1] In 2006, it won the platinum award for Consumers’ First Choice in pizza chains. [2] In 2003, Papa Murphy's was voted "Best Pizza Chain in America" by Restaurants and Institutions Magazine. [3] Orders are available by walk-in or call-in. Some stores have a drive-thru window where customers can pick up call-in orders. Unlike regular pizza establishments, the pizza is put together at the store, but is not baked there.[4] Consumers bake the pizza at their own homes. The pizzerias also offer salads, cookie dough, cheesy breadsticks, cinnamon wheels, apple and cherry dessert pizzas, and soda in various sizes.
It is the sixth-largest pizza chain in the United States and the pioneer of take-and-bake pizza.[5] There are currently nearly 1000 stores in 32 states plus six stores in Canada. Nearly all of the stores are franchised.
The privately held company is based in Vancouver, Washington. The chain of take and bake pizzerias traces its history back to 1981, when the Papa Aldo's Pizza chain was begun in Hillsboro, Oregon. Three years later Murphy's Pizza chain began in Petaluma, California. Eventually both chains were acquired by Terry Collins - who in 1995 merged the two chains into the Papa Murphy's chain. The chain was incorporated as Papa Murphy's International, Inc. In 2004 the company was merged with PMI Holdings, Inc. The largest franchisees are Jim and Tom Lovelace who run over 30 stores including locations in Washington, California, and the first stores in Canada.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/research.php?rc_id=134
- ^ http://www.rimag.com/awards-events/choice-in-chains/default.asp
- ^ http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Papa-Murphys-International-Inc-Company-History.html
- ^ http://www.nrn.com/ Zuber, Amy, "Take-n-Bake Pizza Concepts Expand East; Papa Murphy's Leads the Way," Nation's Restaurant News, July 6, 1998.
- ^ http://www.expediacorporate.com/daily/brochure/customers/papamurphys.asp
- Lang, Joan, "Papa Murphy's Bets on Home-Baked Pizza," ID: The Voice of Foodservice Distribution, October 1999, p. 3.
- MacArthur, Kate, "Papa Murphy's Carves Pizza Niche," Advertising Age, September 11, 2000, p. 12.
- Pomerantz, Dorothy, "Raw Deal," Forbes, December 25, 2000, pp. 238-39.
- Silver, Deborah, "Piece of the Action," Restaurants & Institutions, October 1, 2000, pp. 79-82.
- Van Houten, Ben, "Papa Knows Best," Restaurant Business, August 1, 1998, pp. 27-33.
