PIKEVILLE, N.C., March 31, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pizza Inn's (Nasdaq:PZZI) popular traditional and signature pizzas are now available in Pikeville, N.C.! Franchise owner Tom Vail has opened the first Pikeville location at 110 South Goldsboro St., and soon he will serve Pizza Inn's specialty breakfast pizzas as well to the Eastern North Carolina community.
"We're incredibly excited to welcome Pikeville to our restaurant family," said Charlie Morrison, president and CEO of Pizza Inn. "It's the perfect community for Tom and his team to serve up our signature pizzas and deliver quality food at incredible prices."
Vail, a native of Goldsboro, knows a lot about good food too. Restaurant entrepreneurship runs in the family. His late mother owned and operated Vail Restaurant for 25 years. It was a fixture in the community where Vail grew up until his mom decided to close the business and retire.
"It was a mom and pop grill that everyone loved. When I would come home from college, I would work there every day at the cash register and in the dining room," Vail said. "That's what I'm looking forward to doing again, having my hands in the business and serving people great food."
This time around, however, Vail will have the power of a national franchise brand to help him run his business. As a real estate developer, Vail has had a career in factory-built houses for 25 years and also owned commercial property. It was that lure of what to do with his land that led to his appetite for the restaurant industry again. It was a hunger for Pizza Inn.
"When I looked at the Pizza Inn opportunity, we didn't have anything like it," Vail said. "I knew the community would want it too. We only have one other national restaurant franchise in our town, and it has been successful for 25 years."
Vail was right about the excitement. He had more than 150 resumes for 18 staff positions. With 2,100 square feet of space, large television screens, Wi-Fi in the dining room and a mouthwatering menu, neighbors are buzzing.
The Pikeville Pizza Inn will seat 54 guests and will feature dine-in, carryout and catering services. In six weeks, Vail's business will also begin serving the chain's breakthrough breakfast pizzas and other items to the morning crowd.
The Pikeville Pizza Inn will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Carryout orders can be placed by calling 919-709-4316.
About Pizza Inn:
Headquartered in the Dallas suburb of The Colony, TX, Pizza Inn, Inc., is an international pizza chain featuring traditional and specialty pizzas, as well as freshly made pastas, sandwiches, and desserts. Founded in 1958, publicly traded Pizza Inn (Nasdaq:PZZI) franchises approximately 315 restaurants and directly owns and operates four restaurants. For more information, please visit .
Pizza Inn is seeking single- and multi-unit franchisees to help grow the company's network of restaurants in the region. More information on franchise opportunities with Pizza Inn is available at or by contacting Dino Chavez, Director of Franchise Development, at (800) 284-3466.
The Pizza Inn logo is available at
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