Pita Pit execs hungry for another shot

  • By SHAUNA LEWIS

  • Posted: Thursday, October 13, 2011 7:00 a.m.
  • Text size: A A A


Pita Pit's corporate executives hope their recent takeover of the chain's two locations in College Station will be followed by 10 new eateries in the area in the next two years.


The Pita Pit in Northgate at 403 University Drive reopened Oct. 4, and company representatives expect the store on South Texas Avenue at Holleman Drive to reopen in early November. The eateries were shuttered in the summer after the former owner looked into selling them or closing and moving them.


But College Station is too good of an area to allow the eateries to stay closed, said Peter Riggs, vice president of brand development for Pita Pit USA.


"If it's a great location like in College Station, we take it over and keep it running," Riggs said.


Marc Fogelsong, corporate store manager, last worked in Pennsylvania before coming to College Station to oversee the corporate takeover of the town's Pita Pits.


Fogelsong, a 26-year-old 2010 Texas A&M University graduate who majored in agriculture business, worked at a Pita Pit in College Station throughout his college career, and shortly before graduation accepted a corporate job with the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based corporation.


He and Riggs believe there is enough demand in the area to support more stores in the future.


Pita Pit, which now has 300 locations in North America, offers a menu of grilled meats, fresh vegetables, sauces and a pita.


When corporate employees take over Pita Pit stores, they get the stores up to par and prepare them for another franchisee to buy them, Fogelsong said.


"We're bringing it up to the level of service and quality we expect," he said.


The store on Northgate opened around 2004 and the other opened in about 2007, he said. Ryan Ewling, the former owner, wanted to concentrate on his Northgate store and spend more time with family, Fogelsong said.


"In an area like College Station with the college and the huge population, it just makes sense to keep it open," Riggs said.


Fogelsong said it was the first time he oversaw the corporate takeover by himself, and it took him two weeks to prepare the Northgate eatery to be reopened because of a learning curve. He said things often took more time than he expected, and he learned to be better prepared.


Riggs said employees who worked at the stores before they closed could reapply after the corporate takeover if they hadn't already found new jobs. The company typically hires about 15 part-time employees per store, he said.


Riggs said part of Pita Pit's growth strategy is to locate near college campuses and focus on what college students want. Staying open late also offers students healthy food options when there aren't many choices, he and Fogelsong said. The store is open until midnight on Monday through Wednesday and until 3 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday. It opens at 10:30 a.m.


"We definitely think we could develop 10 stores in that area, but it also depends on the economy," Riggs said.


For more information, go to www.pitapitusa.com.

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