This Pizza Chain Is Losing Loyal Customers Fast
Pizza chains—even the major ones like Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa Johns, and Little Caesar’s—are dealing with the same issues most restaurants are facing. Customers are not spending what they used to on fast-casual and fast food spots, thanks to issues such as rising prices and a perceived lack of value for money. For a long time pizza was considered one of the more reasonable options for a budget-friendly meal, but this is no longer the case. While many chains have pivoted into offering great deals and vouchers to get people back through the doors, other brands are slower to recover and subsequently losing customers. Here is one chain struggling to regain early success.
Cicis Pizza
Cicis used to be known for offering dirt-cheap pizza in a cheerful environment, the ultimate bang-for-your-buck pizza buffet restaurant. Sadly the chain has been losing customers for years. The chain shut down all its New York locations in 2018, possibly because of the increase in minimum wage. “The result is that fast food restaurants in New York State are having to choose between shutting down, laying off workers, or raising our prices,” a notice on a restaurant door said. “We prefer not to lay off our staff, and we have too much loyalty to shut down at this time without doing everything else possible to survive.”
Struggling Sales
Cicis came in at number 176 out of 500 for Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. “They started to lose market share a while ago and in 2015 tried to re-brand themselves as more upscale place with more diverse offerings, but COVID really hit them hard,” one Redditor said.
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Cicis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 and was bought out by investment firm D&G Investors. “For more than 35 years, Cicis has held a special place in the hearts, minds and appetites of many Americans and our focus is to ensure our guests keep that connection to our brand for many years to come,” Jeff Hetsel, president and COO of Cicis Pizza said in a statement.
Inconsistent Quality
While some guests say their visits to Cicis are fine for the low price, others say there are wide inconsistencies with quality depending on location. “At this price you are not going to get amazing pizza, but I like it and I like the value,” one said. “Unfortunately, the tossed Caesar salad is no longer featured and Caesar dressing is not even available. However, the salad items were fresh and the selection was good.”
What’s Next?
Cicis is refocusing on tech and new, updated game rooms in an effort to turn things around. “The rebrand is a renewed focus on our delivery and carry out business — enhancing and upgrading our game rooms, and digitization of our stores through the implementation of digital menu boards and implementing a birthday party system,” COO and President Jeff Hetsel told Pizza Marketplace. “We are also working to reduce the footprint of our restaurants and take costs out of the building and reimaging of the stores.”
