Papa Murphy's
Papa Murphy's, a business based in Vancouver, Washington, United States, is a take-and-bake pizza company.[1]
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[edit] History
The chain of take and bake pizzerias traces its history back to 1981, when the Papa Aldo's Pizza chain was begun in Hillsboro, Oregon. Three years later Murphy's Pizza chain began in Petaluma, California. Eventually both chains were acquired by Terry Collins, who in 1995 merged the two chains into the Papa Murphy's chain. The chain was incorporated as Papa Murphy's International, Inc. In 2003, Papa Murphy's was voted "Best Pizza Chain in America" by Restaurants and Institutions Magazine and have been every year since.[2] The company was merged with PMI Holdings, Inc. in 2004.
Papa Murphy's won the platinum award for Consumers’ First Choice in pizza chains in 2006.[3] Winner of Pizza Today's 2009 Chain of the Year, as well as in 2001, 2006, and 2008. In 2010, the chain was sold to Lee Equity Partners of New York.[4][5]
[edit] Operations
Orders are available by walk-in or call-in and also soon to be online orders. Some stores have a drive-thru window where customers can pick up call-in orders. Unlike regular pizza establishments, the pizza is made at the store but is not baked there. Instead, consumers bake the pizzas at their own homes. According to Nation's Restaurant News, take-and-bake pizzerias typically have lower costs because they require less restaurant space and equipment. As a result, they are often able to undercut the national pizza giants.[6] Papa Murphy's also offers salads, chocolate chip cookie dough, cheesy bread, cinnamon wheels, soft drinks in various sizes, and in some locations, lasagnas.
There are currently over 1,250 stores in 37 states, plus fourteen more in Canada. Nearly all of the stores are franchised. Because Papa Murphy's pizzas are uncooked, many states allow them to be purchased with food stamps -- not unlike purchasing uncooked or frozen pizzas in the supermarket.
[edit] References
- ^ Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza | Pizza Marketplace
- ^ Papa Murphy's International, Inc. - Company History
- ^ Consumers' Choice in Chains - Restaurants & Institutions
- ^ "Papa Murphy's sold to NY-based Lee Equity Partners". The Oregonian. The Oregonian. April 1, 2010. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/04/papa_murphys_sold_to_ny-based.html. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ "Vancouver-based Papa Murphy's sale wraps up". The Oregonian. May 6, 2010. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/papa_murphys_sale_completed_1.html. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Take-n-Bake Pizza Concepts Expand East; Papa Murphy's Leads the Way".
