Pandemic pizza, COVID carbs: Kentucky can’t get enough of these restaurant chains
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the restaurant industry hard, particularly locally owned places.
Since March, many diners have been relying on takeout or curbside pickup as restrictions have been placed on dining in.
Which has given some foods, especially ones already geared to eating on the go or at home, a distinct advantage.
Sit-down restaurants are pivoting to takeout, family meals and tents for safer seating outdoors. But some items are already hot and ready.
Like pizza and pasta. And don’t forget the breadsticks.
Kentucky’s top pizza chain
So, who’s coming out on top in Kentucky’s pizza wars?
According to Top Data, it’s Little Caesars.
“Since the spread of COVID on US shores began in mid-March, Little Caesars has been the preferred pizza provider for residents in 24 states,” Top Data reported. “No other pizza place comes close, with Papa John’s leading the way in just nine states and Domino’s in seven.”
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In Kentucky, the second-most popular was take-and-bake chain Papa Murphy’s, followed by Domino’s, Pizza Hut and, finally, Papa John’s, according to the data.
Even pizza chains haven’t been immune to the coronavirus economic slump. According to Top Data overall visits are down by 20 percent. Little Caesars has seen a 6 percent drop in visits.
Drivers wanted
Another indicator of pizza’s power: Domino’s in Lexington announced last month it is looking to hire more than 150 people for 27 stores across the city, including delivery drivers.
“The increased demand for deliveries has amplified the need for additional team members,” said Chris Reisch, a Lexington-area Domino’s franchise owner.
Kentucky’s top casual chain restaurants
An earlier report by the data company found that casual-dining restaurants were hurting much worse than fast-food, although both were bouncing back from April lows. The report, released in July, found that casual dining had seen 58 percent less traffic since the start of the pandemic, whereas fast food restaurants had only experienced a 30 percent decrease.
Kentucky’s top five casual dining restaurants, according to Top Data: Texas Roadhouse, followed by Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Chili’s and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.
Another big winner: Fazoli’s
Lexington-based Fazoli’s, which is the largest premium quick service Italian restaurant chain, also has seen booming business during the pandemic. The chain last month reported record-breaking sales.
Traffic has been up double digits over the same months in 2019 and they reported the single busiest day ever on July 31, according to Fazoli’s.
Big drivers: Drive-thru sales, which were up 65 percent in July; online ordering, up 410 percent; and delivery orders, up 200 percent.
They even deliver hot fresh breadsticks to people waiting in the drive-thru, according to a press release.
To meet demand, Fazoli’s is expanding. They’ve opened three new restaurants and the chain’s first-ever “ghost kitchen,” a take-out/delivery only location, in Atlanta. More new restaurants are coming later this year.
“Even during these challenging times for the restaurant industry, we are thriving and expanding our brand footprint,” said Carl Howard, Fazoli’s CEO.
Don’t forget burgers: A&W
Another Lexington-based restaurant chain, A&W, just announced the third straight month of double-digit sales growth for its franchises across the country. While burgers in general are up 1.7 percent according to Cardlytics, A&W is beating that, with 12 percent gains in July, the company said.
CEO Kevin Bazner credited several factors for success despite closed dining rooms: Brand familiarity (A&W is more than a century old), increased drive-thru capacity and ramped up delivery, plus people seeking out comfort foods.
Root Beer Floats, burgers and chicken tenders are very popular right now, Bazer said, as well as A&W’s new family packs.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 10:25 AM.
