Pizzerias.com

[Deacon_V]

@Royce. We did this very thing over the summer. During a two week period we partnered with our local “swim team”. They sold gift cards for us in either $10 or $25 dollar values and kept 25% of their sales for their profits.

We’re in what most would consider a very small community (3500) and yet we sold several thousands of dollars worth of the gift cards. We got HUGE publicity, we were exposed to many many new customers in the form of Grandparents, fellow workers etc. and the team was thrilled with the ease they raised funds for next year.

The entire program consisted of us sitting down with a couple from their board to present our plan, then taking 20 minutes once a week to load the ordered cards. They wrote me a check and boom…money in both our hands and all were tickled. The thing has worked so well that we now have other teams, and groups from local schools and churches asking to do the same thing. We’re choosing to limit how many times we roll it out of course and are coming up with other ways to tie local fundraising in with MY fundraising. btw…we also had one night where a group of teachers and administrators from the schools served as staff for the “tips” for a charity. They raised over $7000 in two hours…and our till rang in our best night ever! Another win-win.

 

[bodegahwy]

deacon, What price did they sell the cards for? Face value, or did the customer also save money?

 

[Deacon_V]

The Team sold them for face value. That was part of the beauty of it. We still make decent profit on a card if and when it’s used. The Team was happy, and all the Aunts & Uncles that “had” to buy a card are new customers. There’s also the plus that historically the % of Gift Cards actually redeemed when received as a gift from another…is way way low.

We made it more “interesting” to the kids selling by putting a “Pizza Party for you and 10 of your friends” prize for the one selling the most dollars in Gift Cards. The winner sold nearly $800 by herself!! (with her parents’ help I’ve no doubt!).

 

[NicksPizza]

Pizzerias.com:

NicksPizza

Thanks for you thoughtful comments.

We’ve actually partnered with pizzerias in small towns/cities (example: Niceville, FL, Punxsutawney, PA, Plumsteadville, PA).

We have VERY different definitions of small towns. Plumstead=almost 60K . . . Niceville, FL population 12K+ with median income $62K . . . Punxatawney is closer to small with 6300 people (‘greater’ area is 20K) with a hospital, airport, and a WalMart. The rural towns I am talking about have a couple gas stations and maybe a traffic light. I am talking about towns where the ‘greater area’ population is like 3500. Rural small towns that don;t have a bank or a grocery store. We are the few, the proud, the insane for opening a pizza place is such a small town.

P.S. We were recently named a finalist on the Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies list.

Congratulations is that is a big honor. Most of us will see that as evidence that you might know how to make your company profitable soon. We have lots of experience with companies good at that (food vendors, HVAC companies, insurance companies, equipment companies, utilities, landlords, etc.) . . . and it does not mean that they/you will be good at (and/or prioritize) making US profitable.

Nothing against you personally; just our lives running businesses. Rare and valuable are the ones actually interested in our success as a means to their own success.

 

[Pizzerias.com]

Nicks Pizza

Thanks!

Kudos to you and all pizzeria owners in small rural towns! As a company, Pizzerias.com will not succeed unless our pizzeria partners succeed. So, yes, it is in our best interest to help pizzeria owners succeed. This is why we’d like to form a long-term business relationship with the heart and soul of the pizza industry.

If you haven’t already done so, please visit Restaurant.com, where thousands of pizzerias have signed up. These pizzerias, however, receive absolutely NO revenue sharing. That is, R.com sells thousands of $25 gift certificates for $2 and the pizzeria has to accept it. We’ve had several pizzeria owners switch over to us because of our revenue sharing feature. We’d love to have the remaining pizzerias partner with us.

Thanks.