Snappy Tomato Pizza Looks To The Future

If you're always looking back, it's impossible to see what lies in front of you. This is the motto taken by Snappy Tomato Pizza, headquartered in Florence, Kentucky. The past is a bit jumbled, including separations and resurgence. The future, however, is on the straight and narrow.

"The history is an interesting thing," says Neil Stiegelmeyer, president and CEO of Snappy Tomato. "I still don't have a handle on it. I just skip over that part. You get two companies that came together and there was a name that was established. That's really what you hung on to." The core concept of Snappy that everyone now holds on to is the goal of growing the company through three different types of locations: delivery/carryout, buffet and convenience store locations. "The simples thing is," says Stiegelmeyer, "we are sort of an owner/operator focused company. It's largely one person who wants to be their own boss and start a business. They decide they want to do something in food and do something in pizza. So, we appeal to them." Snappy Tomato, which aims its expansion plans for Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Florida, currently has 49 franchised locations.

"We have people who are multiple store owners," says Stiegelmeyer. "We provide people with an opportunity to get quality products or ingredients, to make a quality pizza. I think that's another part of our identity.

"In the last two years we've opened eight stores each year," he adds. "That's a real comfortable growth rate. I don't know that we want to grow too much faster than that. At the same time, this year, I think we have the potential for growing faster. It can be done depending on where the stores are located and the associates we have working with us." A Numbers Game Growth is not a top priority for Snappy Tomato; growing well is.

"I think sometimes it's a matter of being able to provide the matter of quality product and quality training," says Stiegelmeyer. "I think when we have a new franchisee, one of the messages we have for them is the fact that how important they are to the franchise and how much we value their joining us. So we make sure we have time and people that we can commit to their opening and their beginning.

"If you grow too fast, you may undermine that and sacrifice something. That's not something we want to do." Vito LaCorte, director of operations, agrees. "I think we've seen it happen in the industry where numbers were put ahead of quality and there's not the commitment of time," he says. "Each franchisee and each operation has got to be built to survive before we build the next one. We're not in a race to get anywhere with numbers. We want to build good quality franchises, so that our franchisees are successful." The same care and control is taken in all aspects of the business, including the growth of the menu.

"We try things and take a look," says Stiegelmeyer. "But, we make a conscious effort not to let the menu get too big. Whatever is on the menu, everybody (within our system) does. So, it's not something you change frequently. But, it's a process that's always evolving. Our buffet stores may try some additional things. That gives us ideas for things to grow that we may move to the franchise as a whole." Partnering Up While growing Snappy Tomato at a slow pace is a different approach than many operations out there, so is the concept of co-branding, which places Snappy at a favorable advantage. Snappy is owned by the franchise group Deters Company, which also owns several Blue Pantry convenient stores, Wendy's restaurants, Courthouse Restaurants and other business locations. With so many different locations under one roof, it's an understandable reach to the co-branding arena.

"I think it's certainly an area you have to look at and explore," says Stiegelmeyer. "We've kind of gotten this notion of a food court in the American culture. That's what people are used to having. It can't be overlooked. It doesn't always have to be the answer for something. It's certainly one that we will continue to look at." Already, Snappy has joined forces with Blue Pantry stores and a few Subway locations in the Indiana area.

"Probably the reason we're doing what we're doing in Indiana right now with Subway is just a concept to try and take a look," Stiegelmeyer adds. "I hope it benefits both of us. But, more importantly, we hope it benefits the consumer. You want to make sure when you come as a family unit, that there is something there that appeals to everybody. Another way you do that is broadening to co-brand." While co-branding is an exciting concept for growing restaurants, it's one that many feel must come with sacrifice. This is not so for Snappy.

"The co-brand can not have the effect that it's had in some operations where people have changed their product and presentation," says LaCorte. "Snappy won't allow that. Snappy will always be true to the product, the processes and procedures. I don't believe you can change the customers' perception of who you are just to fit in that little space that you want. You've got to be consistent through the whole network. Then the people can trust that what they get is the Snappy that they're expecting." Customers can expect such favorites as the trademarked Ranch Pizza with a base of Ken's Ranch Dressing, hickory smoked bacon, cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes, onions and green peppers, and the Snappy Sampler with pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives and tomatoes, at every Snappy location.

"We don't really mess with the menu at all for anybody or any situation," says LaCorte. "It's standardized through our entire network...It's got to fit into the Snappy world and how we are fitted and dedicated to what we do with the process." Meet Snappy The cute little red tomato, rightly named Snappy, is the cornerstone for much of Snappy Tomato Pizza advertising.

"There's a lot of things that we get creative with," says Bret Witte, director of marketing. "We take advantage of our mascot, our logo. Probably one of the most unique things we have is our little tomato guy. We have him everywhere that we possibly can. That, to me, is a marketing core advantage that we have over our competitors. It's an icon.

"We have a Snappy van," adds Witte. "We have a lot of different promotions. One of the newest that we do with our franchisees is called 'Dinner on Us.' We send out flyers to neighborhoods saying, 'We are going to be here on a specific night and dinner's going to be on us.' We'll take the van out and load it up with 20-30 free pizzas and have (Snappy) jump out and start delivering pizza. We get crowds of people.

"I'm sure a lot of those things aren't innovative, or have never been done before. But, we kind of put our own twist to it. People will call up and ask if the mascot is available, and a lot of times it's not. Someone else has already got their hands on it."

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