Flipping over New Ci Ci's Pizza Buffet Special

Big, Cheesy and Flavorful Flip Debuts as Part of CiCi's Expanding Buffet Choices

COPPELL, Texas, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- CiCi's Pizza, who recently announced an aggressive coast to coast expansion, is at it again -- this time expanding their buffet choices for guests. Earlier this week, guests found the new Pepperoni Flip addition to the buffet. The new flip is similar to a calzone. Packed with fresh pepperoni and a combination of spices, parmesan and Romano cheese, the flip adds a familiar yet zesty flavor to the buffet line up.

"This addition is about giving guests unique, craveable products, available exclusively at CiCi's," said Craig Moore, president of CiCi's Pizza. "We are excited to add this new flip to the buffet which already features 16 different pizza choices, pasta, salad and desserts."

Founded in 1985, CiCi's Pizza is a family-oriented restaurant serving guests all the fresh salad, pasta, desserts and 16 kinds of pizza they want for an unbelievably low price. CiCi's credits its continued success to the company's philosophy. CiCi's mission then and now is to exceed each guest's expectation in food, service and cleanliness, all at their value-oriented price point. Since opening its first restaurant in Plano, Texas, CiCi's has grown to over 600 restaurants in 30 states. Over the past three years, CiCi's has opened nearly 180 new locations in new and existing markets.

Industry professionals have taken notice of CiCi's success. For the past three years, Nation's Restaurant News ranked CiCi's as number one for sales and unit growth in the pizza chain category. StartupJournal.com, The Wall Street Journal's guide for entrepreneurs, ranked CiCi's as one of the top 25 highest-performing brands in the nation. Franchise Today ranked CiCi's Pizza in the top 200 of all franchise concepts. The concept has received numerous other honors including recognition from Corporate Research International for best customer service in 2006 and 2005; a gold award from Restaurants & Institutions in its annual consumer choice in chains survey in the pizza category; Pizza Enterprise Industry of the Year in 2004 by Pizza Marketing Quarterly magazine; and a top rating in 2003 and 2004 in the Italian restaurant category for Entrepreneur magazine's Annual Franchise 500. Consumers have praised CiCi's customer service ranking them number one for four quarters through Real People Ratings, a survey conducted by Corporate Research International.

CiCis Pizza Sales Feeding Weakened Economy with Notable Increase in January

February 2008 (Coppell, Texas)Despite recent reports suggesting that consumers are cutting back on spending at restaurants and bars for the first time in five months, CiCi's Pizza is reporting a 5.7 percent increase over sales disclosed in January 2007. The increased sales have been supported by two weeks of on-air national advertising where sales jumped to a 10 percent increase for the 600-restaurant chain.

Our strong January and year-to-date performance reflects the loyalty of our existing guests, brand acceptance by new customers, and the excellence of our restaurant managers and crew as they focus on delivering a great experience for an unbelievably low price, said Craig Moore, president of CiCi's Pizza. Our sales growth and operational efficiencies continue to drive our overall profitability.

Moore's outlook on 2008 is very favorable as the company announced earlier this year continued expansion plans taking CiCi's Pizza coast to coast with the opening of two major markets, California, New York, and New Jersey. CiCi's will grow to more than 700 locations, opening approximately 185 restaurants by single-unit and multi-unit franchisee operators between 2008 and 2009.

Founded in 1985, CiCi's Pizza is a family-oriented restaurant serving guests all the fresh salad, pasta, desserts and 16 kinds of pizza they want for an unbelievably low price. CiCis credits its continued success to the companys philosophy. CiCis mission then and now is to exceed each guest's expectation in food, service and cleanliness, all at their value-oriented price point. Since opening its first restaurant in Plano,Texas, CiCis has grown to over 600 restaurants in 30 states. Over the past three years, CiCis has opened nearly 180 new locations in new and existing markets.