When you think of pizza chains in the United States, a few big names immediately come to mind. Perhaps you’ve thought about the rich history of Domino’s Pizza, the chain that invented the 30-minute-or-less pizza delivery guarantee. Or maybe Pizza Hut, whose name was created out of convenience, is what came to mind. Papa John’s, Little Caesars or even Sbarro could have appeared. Hell, maybe you’re even a pizza hipster and have thought about Shakey’s Pizza, America’s first pizza chain.
However, none of them are the largest pizza chain in the country in terms of total locations — and none of them are particularly close. Although Domino’s and Pizza Hut vie for positions two and three as the largest pizza chain name with nearly 7,000 locations each, there is another company well ahead of them with approximately 9,700 locations: Hunt Brothers Pizza. Additionally, the company did this by avoiding all the rules adopted by its direct competitors, making it easier for franchisees to participate in the game, and expanding the availability of their products using gas stations and convenience stores.
Read more: The 101 Best Pizzas in America
Hunt Brothers targets underserved markets
Hunt Brothers shares one thing in common with its direct competitors Pizza Hut (Wichita, Kansas) and Domino’s (Ypsilanti, Michigan): its roots are in the Midwest. In 1962, Don, Lonnie, Jim and Charlie Hunt, siblings from Evansville, Indiana, founded a wholesale chain called Pepe’s Pizza that sold its pies to places like bowling alleys, movie theaters -parks and restaurants. Although the brothers eventually sold the original company in 1981, they came together to form a new chain a decade later: Hunt Brothers, based in Nashville, Tennessee. But his path to success from there was very different from that of his competitors in the industry.
Hunt Brothers, alone among its peers, does not build independent locations. Instead, it aims to take advantage of existing architecture, installing pizza counters at existing gas stations and convenience stores across the South and Midwest, particularly in rural areas underserved by other chains . Its commercial organization is unusual: to take advantage of what already exists, it offers these companies initial equipment at rock-bottom prices (around $10,000), allowing these stores to start cooking and selling frozen pizzas. pre-made right next to his fishing bait. and gasoline.
Hunt Brothers has a unique business model
The most amazing thing about Hunt Brothers, however, is that it avoids the pitfalls that are extremely lucrative for the parent company but tend to bankrupt franchisees. Hunt Brothers charges no franchise fees, advertising or royalties, which is essentially unheard of in the industry; they sell ingredients to their franchises, but that’s it. Hunt Brothers also does not require a contract; operators can withdraw at any time. And this does not saturate the market; Each location that sells Hunt Brothers has its own protected territory. Compare that with, say, Subway (which has no protected territory, the main reason many of its franchises fail), and you begin to see how Hunt Brothers has carved out a unique niche for itself.
Technically, Hunt Brothers is still not national; it’s only available in 32 states and currently doesn’t work in New England or anywhere west of the Rocky Mountains. The fact that it is able to have so many locations without appearing coast to coast is due to the clever marketing and focused business approach of its founders, who aligned themselves with Southern culture, becoming heavily involved in NASCAR and even sponsoring a high-profile club. team and several cup-winning drivers.
Hunt Brothers may not have the same profits as some of its biggest competitors like Domino’s and Pizza Hut, but it operates a remarkably low-risk and reliable business model. More companies could learn from this idea.
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