Operations

Pita Mediterranean Street Food debuts concession-style stands

Provided

August 6, 2021

Pita Mediterranean Street Food, a fast casual chain offering fresh, made-to-order chicken gyros, street pitas, mezza spread, rice bowls, salads and dessert, has a new way to serve customers in the Southeast — concession-style stands in several areas of Georgia, according to a company press release.

Pita operates locations at Marietta Square in Marietta, Georgia, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Halcyon shopping mall in Alpharetta, Georgia.

"We are encouraging our franchisees to open locations on college campuses, food halls and stadiums," Nour Rabai, PITA Mediterranean Street Food CEO, said in the release. "Last year, we saw a huge shift from brick-and-mortar stores to food halls. We discovered that the cost of operations is much lower at these types of locations and there is a huge benefit to the daily traffic that these locations bring."

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted Pita's thought processes on the future of the fast casual chain. Rabai realized the cost of opening a concession-style stand would be 25% lower than the cost of a brick-and-mortar location. Operating a stand in a food hall, for instance, eliminates the need for a dining area, front-of-house staff, fountain machines and more.

PITA is allowing franchisees to run third-party delivery platforms and curbside service at their concession-style kitchens if the option is available at the food hall or other location. The stalls will generally serve the same menu as the brick-and-mortar locations, with a few exceptions. Pita's quick-service stand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium serves an abbreviated menu and keeps the same hours as its concerts and sporting events.

PITA has signed one franchisee to a six-store college campus deal in the Southeast, covering Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Alabama.

"It's about meeting everyone's needs, and that's what the food halls provide," Rabai said in the release. "A consumer might come to the hall for barbecue but have an interest in trying something else at Pita. That's an add-on sale for us. There is a mix of food diversity at the food halls that guests can't get everywhere else."

Rabai views the concession-style concept as a future for restaurants, but Pita will still open brick-and-mortar locations.

"That's been our model since day one. All we are doing is giving franchisees a secondary option," Rabai said in the release. "This is the future for us as a concept."

The Georgia-based chain has locations throughout the Southeast and is growing into the Midwest. Fast Casual named Pita to its Top 100 Movers & Shakers in 2020 and 2021.