Piccadilly Circus Pizza kiosks can be found in more than 1,500 convenience stores across the country. Convenience stores account for more than 96 percent of the company’s business.

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At Piccadilly Circus Pizza there is a saying: “We make it. Simple.” Whether this means the operational systems that are supplied to its licensees or the fact that Piccadilly manufactures all its own food, the company focuses on providing easy solutions to today’s hungry consumers.

Executive Vice President Jerry Ryker knows the value of keeping things simple. “We design operational systems and product assemblies that simplify operation at the store level,” he explains. “By making it simple, we get better consistency at the store level. This allows us to easier deal with employee turnover and control cost better.”

Through this simplicity, Piccadilly has grown from a few stand-alone restaurants in 1977 to nearly 1,500 convenience store locations across 46 states. The convenience store segment accounts for 96 percent of the company’s business. It is also not just about pizza; Piccadilly supplies breakfast sandwiches, sub sandwiches, buffalo chicken wings and breadsticks. “We want to be an option from morning until night,” Ryker says.

Dual Approach
Piccadilly says it wants to introduce new and innovative food programs to the convenience store industry. One way it continues to do so is through its dual approach to operational programs for its convenience store licensees. It provides a restaurant-style program and a freezer-to-oven program.

With the restaurant-style approach, the operator assembles the food on-site, with the ability to create made-to-order pizzas and sandwiches. The Piccadilly operator receives frozen dough, toppings, bread, meat and other products to create what the consumer orders on location.

Ryker describes the restaurant-style program as more of a pizzeria. Piccadilly tends to license this program to small communities and rural markets, he says, where the company has found that the customer seeks out a more carryout meal menu, as opposed to express, single slices.

The freezer-to-oven program is created for the express, snack customer market, Ryker says. “These are designed for urban markets,” he says. “There are a lot of choices and food options; it focuses on the grab-and-go consumer.”

Recognizing Innovation
Piccadilly’s innovative approach to merchandising was recognized by CSP Magazine as a finalist in its 2007 Retailer’s Choice Best New Products edition. The company was nominated in the category of foodservice equipment for its counter café merchandiser.

“This particular system is a great way to merchandise product,” Ryker says. “[It] allows the operator to put hot and cold food at eye-level height, and is a compact unit that allows everything on a counter top. It’s all placed at a premium spot where you want the food to be.”

Actual Manufacturing
Unlike most other brands in the convenience store foodservice industry, Piccadilly manufactures all its own products. The company opened a manufacturing plant at its Milford, Iowa, headquarters in 1993, and manufactures everything from its raw components that go into a pizza to its sandwiches and other products. Ryker predicts Piccadilly will continue to grow its ready-to-eat category and manufacture more sandwiches. The company is continuing to see growth for its other products, too. “We believe we have a bright future,” he notes.