zpizza Expands Into Arizona

zpizza, the Southern California based gourmet pizza chain, recently signed a Multi-unit franchise agreement with Arizona residents Ken and Kathryn Hughes. The Hughes plan to open three units over the next three years in the Northeast and Southeast Valley-their first location is scheduled to open in spring of 2007. "When we were searching for Franchises we wanted a format similar to California Pizza Kitchen but with a fast casual feel, zpizza had that," says Ken Hughes. "When the zpizza Restaurant opened up near our home, my wife and I became frequent customers and we knew we wanted to become franchisees."

Often referred to as the Baja Fresh or Panera Bread of the pizza industry, zpizza takes a unique approach to the crowded pizza segment, offering a large selection of premium quality and creative pizzas. zpizza's menu offers 17 tasty and adventurous pizzas as well as sandwiches, salads, calzones and the opportunity to create your own pizza with a selection of crusts-including whole wheat, sauces, cheeses and toppings.

"zpizza's popularity is growing by leaps and bounds in Arizona because of our innovative take on the gourmet pizza segment," said Chris Bright, zpizza president. "We are thrilled to be receiving such tremendous support from our customers and we hope to bring more stores to their area soon."

The rapidly expanding pizza chain has received rave reviews since its inception in 1986 accruing customer choice awards in prominent publications such as the Los Angeles Times. Most recently voted "Best Pizza Restaurant" and "Best Pizza Delivery" in Washingtonian magazine, zpizza continues to impress its nationwide customer base and broaden its status as the premier gourmet pizza restaurant in the industry.

The Hughes will join husband and wife duo Mark Weeter and Julie Kossak as the second franchisees to open stores in the Phoenix area. zpizza will have over 60 locations open nationwide by the end of 2006 and another 200 in ongoing development in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Colorado and Vermont.