that are happening, other new store open-
ings that happen … we really, really stress
community involvement.”
Behind the scenes, staying on top of
technology and finding new ways to be in-
novative is another key to the company’s
success. They implemented a new point
of sale system unique to the pizza indus-
try that increases operating efficiencies by
tracking inventory and labour. They set up
an online ordering option, which now rep-
resents about six per cent of weekly reve-
nues, and will be launching a text messag-
ing program that will send special offers
to customers “without bombarding them”,
van der Lee said.
“Beyond that, we’re extremely nimble,” he
explained. “So the fact that we’re a small
team and we’re working seven days a
week, we make decisions quickly. We can
move on new programs and make things
happen without a lot of delay. There’s no
bureaucracy here.”
PIZZA SERVED 43 TIMES A
YEAR IN MOST HOUSEHOLDS
The typical North American household
dines on pizza an average of 43 times
per year, van der Lee said. It’s a popular
choice for those who are too busy to cook
or need easy fare for a large gathering. By
adding in the freshness component, Papa
Murphy’s is turning a popular convenience
food into a product that meets a much
healthier standard.
Few can resist a truly good pizza, and van
der Lee has his own favourite combination:
a delite crust with pepperoni, bacon and
jalapeno peppers. “Of course, I can really
get into just a solid pepperoni pizza too!”
For more information about Papa Mur-
phy’s, along with a multitude of tempt-
ing pizza flavours, visit
-
phys.ca.
“Personally I’m very excited about growing it across Canada. I’m very proud of the brand
and equally proud of our franchisees and store managers and the role they’re playing in
helping us grow this,” Chuck van der Lee, Owner and President Canada
MAR/APR 2015
H
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