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Taking on new challenges and ventures has always been somewhat of a hobby for Pita Pit USA CEO Jack Riggs, M.D. Originally an E.R. doctor in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Riggs says he opened the region’s first urgent-care center in the mid-1980s to address expensive and crowded hospital emergency rooms.

“I developed several more immediate-care centers in nearby areas and, basically, evolved into more of a businessman, rather than the typical emergency room doctor,” Riggs explains.

Soon after finding success in this venture, Riggs was drawn into a debate regarding state healthcare issues and was inspired to become more politically involved.

In 1996, Riggs was elected to the Idaho State Senate, and served three terms before being appointed Lieutenant Governor of Idaho.

After leaving office, Riggs says he started looking for new ways to spend his free time. His son Peter and son-in-law Paul had both recently graduated from college, and were working with the owners of the Canada-based the Pita Pit Ltd. to open the franchise’s fifth California location at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Riggs was familiar with The Pita Pit, and was already impressed with the concept’s high-quality, healthy food.

"I immediately recognized this product as something with great potential,” Riggs asserts. “I really thought The Pita Pit had a future. I started helping my son and son-in-law with their location in Santa Barbara and suggested the idea of talking to the owners about operating a larger area. Surprisingly, the owners asked if we wanted to buy the entire U.S. company. Nine months later, we had developed a group of investors who were interested in the venture, and the deal was finalized.”

Today, Pita Pit USA Inc. oversees 151 stores in the United States. and, in 2007 alone, opened the doors of 40 new locations, Riggs says. Last year, The Pita Pit’s ongoing expansion was recognized industrywide when it debuted at No. 31 for growth in the Food & Beverage category on the Inc. 5,000. In addition, the company was ranked No. 195 in Entrepreneur’s 2008 Franchise 500. “These were all unsolicited rankings, and we were very happy with the results,” Riggs says.

Smooth Transitions
Riggs, along with his son Peter and son-in-law Paul, took over the U.S. operation with a clear vision in mind. “Our goal, which was shared with the people involved in the new management team, was to lay the foundation for future growth,” he explains. “We already knew we had a great product, so we didn’t want to make any drastic changes. We truly believe that the more people are exposed to The Pita Pit, the more they will want it.”
 
From the beginning, the U.S. team worked to strengthen the company’s franchise program, streamlining the entire process to increase efficiency, Riggs explains.

“The goal from the start was to create a system where we could adequately perform site selection and process the legal documents and paperwork in a more efficient way,” he says. “We weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. We were just trying to implement a solid, but simple, system.”

In its early years, the company had an informal development program for potential franchisees. “Typically, in the past when someone contacted the company with interest in opening a Pita Pit, the company would quickly respond and start interacting with them,” Riggs explains. “But there was not a formal system in writing.”

Riggs made franchisee training a priority when he took over the company, and developed a formal program. The primary goal for this program, he says, is to help each franchisee find success. “There is no company success without the success of all franchisees,” Riggs asserts.

In 2007 especially, the company made major strides in its training operation. It hired an expert with 20 years experience in training to bring The Pita Pit’s existing program to a new level. “We found that trying to teach somebody to run a restaurant in seven days isn’t always enough,” Riggs says. “There is much more to it than what meets the eye, and our goal is to continue expanding our training center, and provide on-site support at the store with the franchisee and their staff.”
Another goal for 2008 is to push its marketing efforts to the forefront of the business. In addition to quarterly promotions, the company is designing cups and napkins that display The Pita Pit logo. “This is the first time we have had a coordinated marketing program, and we’ve been very happy with the results so far,” Riggs says.

Menu Promotions
The Pita Pit’s current promotion, the buffalo chicken pita, has quickly become a crowd favorite. Although the company features new pita recipes on a regular basis, many customers choose to create their own.

Recently all Pita Pits began featuring a breakfast menu. It consists of six different breakfast pitas, served all day. “Many of our stores had already served breakfast, but now all locations will offer this menu,” Riggs explains. “In 2008, we will also be rolling out our ‘Fork Style’ salads, essentially doubling our menu.”