Upscale Pizza Inn Planned For New Strip Complex

SPARTANBURG (Saturday, May 19, 2007) - When Viren Patel came back to Spartanburg from Dallas, Texas, he had with him a personalized watermark pen and a custom-made pizza cutter with his name carved in it.

The symbolism of those items made Patel a first-time business owner when he signed on with Pizza Inn as a franchisee.

Relatively soon, Patel will be one of three businesses to occupy Palmetto Village, a new strip complex sandwiched between IHOP and formerly Symposium Cafe on Warren Abernathy Highway.

Construction is expected to begin immediately. Patel's Pizza Inn scheduled to open in mid-October.

Patel said he expects to hire a combination of 65 full-time and part-time employees.

Patel said the 7,500 square foot building will be constructed with Pizza Inn taking 4,200 square feet and a yet to be named tenant 1,500.

A third business will occupy the remaining space.

"It felt good to sign the contract," Patel said.

"It was three new franchisees meeting with the CEO and other executives and spending the day meeting with other departments."

As owner, Patel will spend four weeks later this summer in Texas training and his manager will undergo the same training as part of the education process for Pizza Inn franchisees.

"The concept of the building will be more upscale for Pizza Inn," Patel said.

"It will have rock exterior. I didn't want to build another strip center."

Patel, a pharmacist, said he was looking to build his first business for a while and decided on Pizza Inn.

"This is my first restaurant. The financial model and real estate make sense. I like the Pizza Inn concept and the demographic on the west side fits," Patel said.

A Pizza Inn is also scheduled to open at Hillcrest before Patel's restaurant.

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