5 Reasons Why Now Is the Time to Buy a Pizzeria Uno

Pizzeria Uno , the neighborhood pizzeria franchise, has made its mark as the authentic birthplace of Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Building upon its rich reputation, the franchise has recently ventured into the hospitality sector. Having launched its successful hotel restaurant conversion plan last year, the franchise now presents hotel owners with an exciting opportunity to integrate a full-service Pizzeria Uno restaurant within their establishments.

“We attribute much of our recent success to our franchise model and new focus on hotel restaurant conversions,” said Erik Frederick , Pizzeria Uno CEO. “We have operated a successful franchise model for over 40 years and continue to bring in franchisees who have a passion for the brand and the pizza to fuel our restaurant growth. Notably, some of the franchisees that have opened have already signed on for more locations after seeing great success from partnering with the brand.”

With the addition of Pizzeria Uno, hotel operators can benefit from multiple revenue streams, low conversion costs and in-depth franchisee support, while leveraging the franchise’s robust infrastructure to optimize their food and beverage program.

Revenue streams and benefits

Pizzeria Uno's unique business model results in five profitable streams of revenue: enhanced dine-in earnings from hotel guests, takeout services for hotel guests, takeout and/or delivery sales from the local community, dine-in revenue from individuals in the neighborhood who wouldn't typically visit a hotel restaurant and the potential for group sales.

As Pizzeria Uno franchisees, hotel owners can enjoy lower customer acquisition costs and a higher capture rate. Because consumers around the country already know the brand, owners have the opportunity to gain additional guests. A well-established group sales team can also help generate revenue by bringing in group sales to the new location.

Simply put, pizza is America’s favorite food. At pizza restaurants in the United States, revenue grew to a whopping $65 billion over the five years leading up to 2023. Even amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, pizza restaurant revenue saw minimal contractions when compared to other restaurant segments.

“Everyone loves pizza,” Frederick said. “When people travel, they want to have a memorable dining experience, and pizza has always been the number one option whether it’s dine-in or takeout or delivery.”

Brand history and recognition

Pizzeria Uno isn’t just another pizza franchise. Founded over 70 years ago in Chicago, Pizzeria Uno has a long history of serving pizza with soul. Today, the franchise is known all over the world due to its iconic menu and authentic brand name. With the addition of Pizzeria Uno, hotel operators have a rare opportunity to become part of this legacy that has helped franchisees thrive for decades.

“Hotel guests are coming in and seeing a known and loved brand that they feel comfortable dining with, and that automatically increases volume and capture rate compared to the typical non-branded restaurant,” said Chris Dellamarggio , Head of Marketing for Pizzeria Uno. “The restaurants also bring in locals who would normally have no reason to visit the hotel. The takeout and delivery piece has benefits from both the hotel guests ordering take out from the hotel restaurant instead of from outside the hotel, as well as orders coming in from people in the surrounding community.”

By selling pizza, a relatively low-cost food compared to other cuisines, hotel owners will likely lower their overall food costs. As a national franchisor, Pizzeria Uno also brings economies of scale in purchasing, enabling franchisees to get better pricing on food items.

Franchisees will also benefit from an overall return on capital investment. “In addition to higher sales and lower costs, the conversion requirements are very minimal, as we can leverage much of the hotel’s existing infrastructure,” said Frederick. “Hotel owners already have the kitchen and dining room, so they don’t need a new lease, which keeps conversion costs low.”

Franchise support and growth

As part of the Pizzeria Uno franchise system, hotel owners receive all the support they would typically expect from a franchisor. This includes supply chain, marketing, technology, staffing and operations.

“We know how to position franchisees for success,” said Frederick. “We have an established infrastructure, including support for training, supply chain, marketing and ongoing operations.”

As the franchise looks ahead to the rest of 2023, it is targeting 10 to 15 new units, meaning there has never been a better time to invest with Pizzeria Uno.