How low can prices at &pizza go?
Apparently pretty darn low, at least for a month.
The Washington, D.C.-based fast-casual pizza chain on Sunday is launching a month-long “&pass,” offering guests one pizza each day for 30 days, for $39.99, which the company said is about a buck a pie. (Actually, it’s $1.33.)
The move comes just months after &pizza lowered its pricing across the menu to position the brand as a more-affordable option.
CEO Mike Burns in an interview said he realized the money-losing potential of the promotion. But, he said, “We’re trying to get people back in the shops.”
The lowering of prices earlier this year is paying off, he noted. Consumer feedback is strong, and “in-shop traffic is the highest in two years,” said Burns. “We hope to build habits.”
The limited promotion is valid at participating locations, but it is not available for third-party delivery, Burns emphasized.
The promotion celebrates the chain’s 13th anniversary. The &pass will be available for purchase from July 13-20 through the brand’s app or website. Then guests can start using the pass on July 21 and new pies will drop daily for the next 29 days.
Guests can choose whatever pizza they want, and there’s no extra charge for toppings, Burns said.
&pizza CFO Clint Fendley called the promotion “absurd,” adding in a statement, “although finance said WTF and ultimately lost, we’re proud to be one of the only fast-casual brands that can offer a deal like this.”
&pizza has been working to reclaim its counter-culture mojo in recent years. The chain earlier this year launched franchising, and Burns said he hopes to refranchise most of the 39 company units, as well as reigniting growth after the chain shuttered 13 restaurants in a right-sizing of the portfolio last year.
Burns said the call for lower prices was not only coming from consumers. It was also coming from potential franchise operators.
The chain recently signed its first franchisee outside its existing footprint, who plans to build three units in South Carolina, Burns said. “We’re close to signing other deals in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.”
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