America's Incredible Pizza Company

America's Incredible Pizza Company
Industry Restaurants
Founded 2002
Headquarters Springfield, Missouri
Key people
 Rick Barsness Founder & CEO,
Cheryl Barsness Founder
Products Pizza
Revenue $64.1 million
Number of employees
 1,200
Slogan "Nothing Tops our Pizza but the Fun!"
Website www.incrediblepizza.com

America's Incredible Pizza Company (AIPC) is an American pizza buffet, entertainment center and restaurant chain based in Springfield, Missouri. The first restaurant opened in Springfield in 2002.[1][2] The company has 1,200 employees, and a revenue of $64.1 million.[3]

History

America's Incredible Pizza Company, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, is owned by Rick and Cheryl Barsness. The couple entered the pizza business with a single restaurant in Victoria, Texas and by 1975, owned 11 franchises of Gatti's Pizza.

AIPC grew out of an idea from its founder, Rick Barsness. When Barsness was a hockey player in high school, his team reached the state championships, but his father never attended a game. His father's absence nurtured a boyhood dream of a place where families could eat and have fun together. This was the type of place Barsness wished he could have spent time with his father.[4]

In 2003, years of legal battles came to an end when Rick Barsness agreed to pay Gatti's a $1 million settlement.[5] Mr. Gatti's had charged that Barsness had violated his franchise contract with them, and had taken trade secrets. In addition to the $1 million payout, Barsness also agreed to pay Mr. Gatti's Inc. 1% of IPC's net sales for the next 10 years.[6]

AIPC started franchising and established its corporate headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2003. It moved the headquarters to Springfield, Missouri in 2009.[7]

AIPC restaurants have an average of 250 employees and it costs $5–9 million to start a restaurant.[8]

America's Incredible Pizza announced that its location at Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis would close March 19, 2012.[9]

Locations and format

At the AIPC, the music and decorations have a 1950s theme.[2] AIPC has a buffet style pizza, pasta, salad, and dessert bar, with several seating areas for customers to eat.[10] The restaurant has 30 types of pizza and an 80-item salad bar.[11] An AIPC restaurant has an average area of 65,000 to 70,000 square feet (6,000 to 6,500 m2).[12] The restaurant is smoke-free and alcohol-free.[13] It has an arcade, go-karts, billiards, bowling, and miniature golf, among other activities.[14][15]

AIPC locations are in the central/southwest part of the United States and Mexico. The pizza franchise is planning 20 restaurants in Mexico, the first opened in Monterrey in 2007, and the second in Querétaro in October 2012. The company plans to continue adding two restaurants each year until 2017.[16] AIPC currently has 73 franchise locations in the United States and Mexico.[17] In the United States, AIPC has one location in Springfield, Missouri. In Texas, it operates restaurants in San Antonio and Conroe.[18] The company operated a total of ten locations in 2009.[19] The company also has restaurants in Davenport, Iowa; Urbandale, Iowa; Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.[20] The Davenport location closed in 2013, and the Urbandale location closed in 2014 because of a lease dispute with the franchisee's landlord.

Incredible Pizza Company Foundation

In fall 2007, the Incredible Pizza Company founders, Rick and Cheryl Barsness, founded the Incredible Pizza Company Foundation (IPC Foundation) for the goal of donating to missionaries and orphanages. On February 20, 2008, the IPC Foundation gave $24,000 to the Convoy of Hope, a non-profit organization.[21] In September 2008, the IPCF donated $6,500 to Care to Learn, a fund managed by the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.[22]

Sponsor Of The NASCAR Racing Team

America's Incredible Pizza Company was the primary sponsor of number 11 CJM Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.[23] On June 17, 2008, Jason Keller, the driver of the Incredible Pizza-sponsored car, attended the opening of the 15th Incredible Pizza restaurant in Mesquite, Texas.[24] In 2008, first complete NASCAR season that the AIPC sponsored a racing team,[25] the team finished in 17th place.[26] In July 2008, CJM Racing and the AIPC partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing.[27] The partnership between the two racing teams included the NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr., who received 13th place out of 52 cars in the No. 11 America's Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet in October 2008.[28] The sponsorship ended in December 2009 when CJM Racing suspended operations.[29]

Awards

In 2008, the America's Pizza Company was named a "Top Family Entertainment Center of the World" (TFEC) from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA),[30] which places it among one of the top five entertainment centers in the world.[4] Also in 2008, the America's Pizza Company in Springfield, Missouri won the "Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party" award from Riverfront Times.[31] In 2008, AIPC was rated the 456th fastest growing company in the United States by the Inc 500.[32] In the Inc. Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies, AIPC was rated number 12th, with a 693.1% growth.[33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Olberding, Matt (17 September 2005). "Pizza places planned for Omaha, Lincoln". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cherry, Scott (6 April 2007). "Incredible Pizza Company delivers with loads of fun and good, filling food". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  3. ↑ "The Fastest Growing Private Companies in America: America's Incredible Pizza Company". Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Whiteman (2006), p. 2.
  5. ↑ MacCormack, Zeke (13 August 2003). "Pizza chain settles suit with former franchiser Mr. Gatti's will get $1 million and a bit of new venture's revenue.". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  6. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Company". Pizza Marketplace. 13 August 2003. Archived from the original on 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  7. ↑ "Corporate Website: About Us". Incredible Pizza Company. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  8. ↑ Whiteman (2006), p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Lafayette Square Loses Major Tenant". WRTV News. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  10. ↑ Williams, Charles (21 September 2007). "Incredible game room". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  11. ↑ "TEAM CJM Racing and America’s Incredible Pizza Company". CJM Racing. 31 March 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  12. ↑ Whiteman (2006), p.4.
  13. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Company Opening Second DFW Metroplex Location, Creates Over 200 Jobs.". Business Wire. 7 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  14. ↑ "Family matters: incredible Pizza Company entertains the family market.". Chain Leader. 1 February 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  15. ↑ Nelson, Yvonne D. (17 January 2008). "America's Incredible Pizza Company opens". The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee). Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  16. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Company signs 20-store agreement for Mexico". Pizza Marketplace (NetWorld Alliance LLC). 28 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-28. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  17. ↑ "Simon to head America's Incredible Pizza Co. as CEO". Pizza Marketplace (NetWorld Alliance LLC). 17 August 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  18. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Co. names new executives". Pizza Marketplace (NetWorld Alliance LLC). 22 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  19. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Company, LLC". Hoover's. Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  20. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Company Locations". America's Incredible Pizza Company. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  21. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Company Joins the HopeWalk". Convoy of Hope (Press release). Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  22. ↑ "Incredible Pizza Company Gives Back to Care to Learn" (Press release). Foundation for Springfield Public Schools. 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  23. ↑ "Phoenix: Jason Keller race report". Motor Sport. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  24. ↑ "America's Incredible Pizza Announces Preview Event and Grand Opening Extravaganza". Business Wire. 12 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  25. ↑ "Lagasse Jr to drive No. 11 for CJM Racing". Motor Sport. 17 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  26. ↑ "Season Finale Cut Short for Lagasse Jr. at Homestead". Motor Sport. 17 November 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  27. ↑ "CJM, Joe Gibbs Racing to form technical alliance". NASCAR. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  28. ↑ "Charlotte II: Scott Lagasse Jr race report". Motor Sport. 10 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  29. ↑ "CJM Racing suspends operations". ESPN. Associated Press. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  30. ↑ Hixon, Marion (2008). "Top FECs of the World awards went to Incredible Pizza Company and FUN CENTRAL Tecamac". International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  31. ↑ "Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party America's Incredible Pizza Company". Riverfront Times (St. Louis). October 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  32. ↑ "Incredible Pizza joins the Inc. 5000 List at No. 456!". America's Incredible Pizza Company. August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  33. ↑ "Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies". Inc. 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-01-29.

Bibliography

  • Pat Whiteman (2006). "Incredibly Ingenious". Food & Drink Quarterly. Positive Publications LLC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-29. Retrieved 27 November 2008.

External links