Article
Commentary: Tasting Pie Five in Kansas City
FastCasual.com gets the inside scoop from Pie Five CEO Randy Gier and Dave Goebel, the chain's Kansas City franchisee.
August 14, 2013 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
It's not every day that an up-and-coming fast casual concept chooses my hometown of Kansas City to open a "newish" concept, so I was happy to visit Pie Five last week for the build-your-own pizza chain's Kansas City debut. The opening marked Pie Five's 14th store, with 11 locations in Texas and one each in Kansas, North Carolina and Utah.
I had the pleasure of checking out the restaurant and meeting Franchisee Dave Goebel, former Applebee's president and CEO. He and his sons, Kerry and Kevin, opened the chain Monday in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City. The men are planning to open at least 10 more in the K.C. market.
"It's an exciting time because we know we're on the verge of changing the way people in Kansas City experience pizza," said Goebel, whose career as a restaurant executive spans nearly four decades. "Once you come in and see how you can order your own customized pizza, with as many toppings as you like, all in about five minutes, you'll understand what all the fuss is about. It's delicious, and it's simply perfect for on-the-go people, which all of us seem to be these days."
At Pie Five, a subsidiary of Pizza Inn Holdings, guests choose from more than 1 million combinations of handcrafted pizzas and a variety of specialty pie choices prepared in less than five minutes on one of four crusts. I tried the BBQ chicken pizza on thin crust and the Pie Five, served on a thick crust with pepperoni, sausage and green peppers. Both were delicious, and it was cool to watch the employees make my pizzas.
"I love the interaction that our team has with customers," said Goebel, who is also a Mr. Goodcents franchisee. "It's more than just pizza, it's an experience."
Running a tight ship
Rany Gier, CEO of Pizza Inn and Pie Five, was also in Kansas City for the opening and shared with me how the chain's operating procedures have helped lead to its success. The Aloha POS system the chain uses allows Gier to track sales and inventory from each store via his cell phone. He can also see which employees are working and when.
"If I don't know what's going on, I can't help them succeed," said Gier, who is proud of his buttoned up operating procedures overseen by Chris Smith. Smith, the former director of operations at Chipotle, is known for taking the chain from just a few stores to more than 500.
"There's all these fast casual pizza concepts popping up now, and they're all claiming to be the 'Chipotle of pizza,' Gier said. "So, we'll have to see who can do it, but you have to have the proper procedures in place to succeed, and I know that no one can beat us on that."
Another reason Gier thinks his fast casual concept is taking off is because it's not just another pizza joint.
"We don't compete with Domino's or Pizza Hut; we are a totally different occasion," he said. "We've found a way to make pizza quick and affordable, so we compete with the Chipotles and Paneras."
Before now, pizza wasn't really a lunch option. Customers had to wait too long and had to make sure to get enough people around the table to share a big pizza.
Pizza restaurants have been trying to solve the lunch issue for years. Pizza Hut, for example, once had the "5 minute guarantee" on personal pan pizzas. But while the pizza cooked in only 5 minutes, guests still had to order and wait, so the entire experience took much longer, Gier said.
"Now, you can get your own pizza, topped the way you want and you don't even have to share it," he said.
Cherryh Butler is senior editor of FastCasual.com.
Cover photo:Dave, Kerry and Kevin Goebel.
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