This Unique Pizza Chain Could Triple In Size Soon

There's an innovative new pizza chain on America's fast-food scene, and while still small, it's about to undergo a major expansion.

Rapid Fired Pizza, famous for its revolutionarily short pizza baking time of only 180 seconds, is hardly a major player in the pizza arena. It currently has just 33 locations spread out across a handful of markets, according to QSR Magazine, and no presence in coastal states or in the northeast or northwest. So while only customers in the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas can currently enjoy this speedy pizza, that's all about to change—and fast, according to the chain's new owners.

The Unprecedented Popularity of This Pizza Chain May Be Coming To An End

The company was just acquired by South Carolina-based franchise company Pie Guy Restaurants, and under the leadership of Mike Kern and Chip Hurst, who will act as CEO and chief development officer respectively, the goal is a triple-fold expansion of the number of locations in the near future. And those new openings are likely to come in its existing markets as well as California. But the company plans to focus equal efforts on building brand recognition as well.

"It's a balancing act as usual as far as being early to market," Kern said. "Where there's opportunities to be market leader, seizing those and recognizing the value of those, but making sure it's still part of a cohesive strategy and getting it right."

Rapid Fired Pizza has now been in operation for just six years, with its first restaurant opening in 2015 according to Nation's Restaurant News. That puts the potential of reaching approximately a hundred stores in about seven years in perspective, especially through a franchising model, which the company is pursuing.

Based in Ohio, where the chain's founder Ray Wiley will continue to operate several locations as a franchisee, Rapid Fired Pizza currently has a presence in a total of six states (Indiana, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Ohio, and Texas). Most of its restaurants are traditional brick-and-mortar locations offering both dine-in and takeaway services. Under Pie Guy Restaurants' leadership, many of the new planned units will be in nontraditional locations. The company is reportedly eyeing venues such as sports stadiums, grocery stores, and student centers on college campuses, for example, all of which are appealing based on the flexible and quick production methods that set the brand apart from competitors.

True to its name, the pizzas made at Rapid Fired Pizza restaurants cook up in 180 seconds or less, every time. They are available in several sizes and crust types and can be ordered in the form of more than a dozen curated specialty pies (such as Chicken Bacon Ranch, Magic Mushroom, or Say Cheese) or customized by the customer.

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