High-Priced Frozen Pizza Finds Favor With ‘Sophisticated’ County Shoppers : RETAILING
Housing isn’t the only thing Orange County doesn’t mind splurging on.
Premium-priced pizza is selling like hot cakes these days, according to Chicago Brothers Pizza Co.
Chicago Brothers reports that of its annual sales of more than $10 million, an estimated 30% are being gobbled up by supermarkets, Price Clubs, military bases and a few hotels in Orange County.
Consumer interest here apparently is sizzling despite the fact that Chicago Brothers is one of the most expensive frozen pizzas on the market.
The “deep dish” frozen and deluxe pizzas sell for $5 to $6 and the thin-crust varieties go for about $3.50 to $3.99 for a family-size pizza. According to Craig Schechtman, president of the San Diego-based company, the next-highest competitor probably is Celeste, which sells pizzas for just under $4.
Chicago Brothers doesn’t have any answers to why Orange County shoppers have warmed to its frozen product. Consumers here could just be pickier about their pizza, Schechtman suggests. “We’d have to attribute it to the sophistication of the consumer,” he said. “But the Orange County area does sell disproportionately high to the population.”
He is quick to add that Chicago Brothers sells hand-made pizzas made from scratch with company-made dough and real cheese. “Most of our competitors use imitation,” Schechtman sniffed.
In addition to the markets, the hottest spots for sales of Chicago Brothers are the Price Clubs in Santa Ana, Fullerton and San Juan Capistrano. Or they can be ordered up from room service at the Anaheim Hilton for $6 to $10.
