2004 Consumers' Choice in Chains | Pizza: Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza

By Staff -- Restaurants & Institutions, 9/1/2004

2004 Consumers’ Choice in Chains
PIZZA > PAPA MURPHY'S TAKE 'N' BAKE PIZZA

The road to excellence is neither easy nor inexpensive but Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza stays the course, making fresh dough each day, using real Canadian bacon instead of chunked and formed pork, and bypassing less-expensive preshredded cheese in favor of doing the job in house.

“Using the highest-quality products we can find is one of the five main underpinnings of our business, something that never changes,” says Terry Collins, CEO, adding that the commitment is relentless. “Quality comes first, convenience second.” Other precepts include generously portioned toppings (most family-sized pizzas include a pound of cheese); a low price point; fast, friendly service; and aggressive marketing.

80
Number of pepperoni slices on a family-size pizza.

That business approach seems to translate into something patrons recognize. As it did last year, Papa Murphy’s nabs the top spot in the pizza category, with its food quality score inching up even further from the previous level. “We take our business very seriously and always drive to do and be better,” Collins says.

After struggling a bit with the low-carb craze’s impact on pizza sales, Papa Murphy’s “slammed a home run” with the introduction of a thin-crust pizza this year, Collins says. With 7 ounces of dough instead of 18, carbs are cut by two-thirds. A lighter application of topping ingredients means it also has about half the calories. The economics of less food allows the thin-crust pizzas to be priced lower than others on the menu. “It hits on all points, but our research finds that the main appeal is taste. That’s what customers like best about it. Without that, it wouldn’t have scored,” Collins notes.

Papa Murphy’s service ranking also showed some improvement over last year. Collins says that the goal, almost always nailed, is to have customers out the door in less than five minutes. And since about half of orders are called in, improvements to the phone system are an ongoing initiative. Says Collins, “Everything we do should enhance the customer experience.”

Headquarters	Vancouver, Wash.
CEO	Terry Collins
Units	786
Check average	NA
Respondents aware of chain¹	20%
Respondents who visited in previous 12 months¹	7%
Guests who would go back²	85%
Average loyalty (would go back) for chains in this segment	82%
Key region	West
Widest attribute lead	Cleanliness
(1) Base is all respondents; (2) base is 12-month patrons.

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Chain	Overall Score	Food Quality	Menu Variety	Value	Good Reputation	Service	Atmosphere	Cleanliness	Convenience
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