Papa Murphy's

Last updated

Papa Murphy's Holdings, Inc.
TypeSubsidiary
Industry Fast food restaurants
Founded1981;43 years ago (1981)
Headquarters Vancouver, Washington
Number of locations
1,500+
Key people
Eric Lefebvre (CEO)
Products Pizza
Revenue$800 million
Parent MTY Food Group
Website papamurphys.com

Papa Murphy's is a take-and-bake pizza company based in Vancouver, Washington. [1] It began in 1995 as the merger of two local take-and-bake pizza companies: Papa Aldo's Pizza (founded in 1981) and Murphy's Pizza (founded in 1984). The company and its franchisees operate more than 1,300 outlets in the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. In April 2019, it was announced that the company would be acquired by MTY Food Group for $190 million. [2]

Contents

History

The chain of pizzerias traces its history back to 1981, when the Papa Aldo's Pizza chain was founded in Hillsboro, Oregon. Three years later, Murphy's Pizza chain began operating in Petaluma, California. Both chains were later acquired and consolidated by Terry Collins into Papa Murphy's. The chain was incorporated as Papa Murphy's International, Inc. In 2003, Papa Murphy's was voted "Best Pizza Chain in America" by Restaurants and Institutions magazine. [3] The company was merged with PMI Holdings, Inc. in 2004. [4]

A Papa Murphy's located in Parkville, Missouri. Pictured in 2021. Papa Murphy's 64.jpg
A Papa Murphy's located in Parkville, Missouri. Pictured in 2021.

In 2010, the chain sold out to Lee Equity Partners of New York City. [5] [6] Sales for the chain totaled $702 million in 2011, [7] which grew to $800 million in 2012 from 1,350 outlets. [8] Reuters reported in 2013 that Papa Murphy's New York parent, Lee Equity Partners, was preparing a public offering for the take-and-bake pizza chain. [9] Official plans for the IPO were announced in March 2014. [10]

Papa Murphy's (FRSH) was added to the Nasdaq May 2, 2014, raising $64.1 million in shares. [11]

Following a loss in the third quarter of 2016, the company announced that it would launch its first national advertising campaign in 2017. [12]

By 2017–2018, the franchisor was struggling, dipping in and out of losses and profitability. In May 2019, it was taken over by Canadian private food conglomerate MTY Food Group, and removed from the NASDAQ. [13]

Papa Murphy's employees during the Covid-19 Pandemic Papa Murphy's Employees.jpg
Papa Murphy’s employees during the Covid-19 Pandemic

In October 2022, Papa Murphy's was sued in a class action lawsuit alleging the company had been secretly wiretapping the private conversations of everyone who had communicated via the company's online chat feature. [14]

Operations

Orders are available by walk-in, online order, or call-in. Some stores have a drive-thru window where customers can pick up call-in orders. As part of the take-and-bake concept, the pizzas are made at the store but are not baked there. According to Nation's Restaurant News , take-and-bake pizzerias typically have lower costs because they require less restaurant space and equipment. As a result, they are often able to undercut the national pizza giants. [15] Papa Murphy's also offers salads, dessert items, and soft drinks in various sizes. [16]

A Papa Murphy's employee creating a Papa's Favorite pizza

See also

Related Research Articles

Pizza Delight is a Canadian pizza restaurant franchise. It was founded in 1968 in Shediac, New Brunswick by Léandre Bourque and Allard Robichaud and then later purchased by Bernard Imbeault and two of his friends. The chain's head offices are now located in Moncton. The restaurant primarily serves pizza, pasta and salad dishes. Today, it has over 70 restaurants, and operates in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, with almost half of its locations in New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uno Pizzeria & Grill</span> American franchised pizza restaurant chain

Uno Pizzeria & Grill, or more informally as Uno’s, is a United States-origin franchised pizzeria restaurant chain under the parent company Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation. Uno Pizzeria and Grill is best known for its Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Ike Sewell opened the first Pizzeria Uno in 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches</span> American sandwich restaurant chain

D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches is a chain of 83 neighborhood-style sandwich shops found in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches was founded in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1967. It serves various kinds of grilled and deli sandwiches, rice and grain bowls, lobster rolls, grilled topped salads, wraps, and hot soups. The company's grilled sandwich Number 9 was called "the finest fast-food sandwich in the land" in a Bloomberg News column.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take and bake pizzeria</span>

A take and bake pizzeria, sometimes just known as a take and bake, is a pizzeria which sells uncooked pizzas to customers, who then bake the pizzas at home in their own ovens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of pizza</span> History of the food known as pizza

The history of pizza begins in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCormick & Schmick's</span> American restaurant chain specializing in seafood

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants Inc. is an American seafood restaurant chain, formerly based in Portland, Oregon. As of July 2021, the company operates 26 locations in the United States and 5 Canadian locations that operate under the Boathouse name. A sale to the parent company, Landry's, Inc., was completed in January 2012. Landry's corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas now manages all restaurant operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetzel's Pretzels</span> American restaurant chain

Wetzel’s Pretzels is an American chain of fast-food restaurants, specializing in pretzels and hot dogs. The chain has more than 370 locations across the United States, Canada and Central America, mostly located in shopping malls, airports, theme parks, and stadia; plus, as of recently, food trucks. The company is headquartered in Pasadena, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Corner</span> International franchise of pizzeria chains

Pizza Corner was an international franchise of pizzeria chains that offered a wide range of pizzas, pastas and side dishes from chicken wings to salads. Pizza Corner operated as both standalone restaurants or combined with other Global Franchise Architects brands such as Coffee World or Cream & Fudge. Its service formats included: large dine-in restaurants, delivery outlets, express dine-ins, and express kiosks.

Giordano's is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in Chicago-style stuffed pizza. Brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio founded Giordano's in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. The pizzeria has since expanded to over 65 locations in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The chain has also expanded to offer catering and ship frozen pizzas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTY Food Group</span> Canadian restaurant franchisor and operator

MTY Food Group is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous casual dining, fast casual, and quick service restaurants operating under more than 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. Headquartered in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, the number of outlets carrying MTY brands reached 5,500 in 2017. Stanley Ma is the group founder, President and CEO. MTY Food Group's brands include Thaï Express, Country Style, Groupe Valentine, Vanelli's, Extreme Pita, Cultures, La Crémière, Sushi Shop, Veggirama, Caferama, O'burger, Tiki Ming, Vie & Nam, Au Vieux Duluth Express, FranxSupreme, ChicknChick, Croissant Plus, Koya Japan, Kim Chi, Panini, Tandori, Tutti Frutti, Villa Madina Mediterranean Cuisine, Sukiyaki, Taco Time, Yogen Früz, and the Canadian branch of TCBY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handsome Pizza</span> Defunct pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Handsome Pizza was a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the business closed in August 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlas Pizza</span> Pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Atlas Pizza is a pizzeria with multiple locations in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Blue Pizza</span> Defunct pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Baby Blue Pizza was a vegan pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. The restaurant operated from July 2019 to January 2022, closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizzeria</span> Restaurant that sells pizza

A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seastar Bakery</span> Defunct bakery in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Seastar Bakery was a bakery in Portland, Oregon, United States. Annie Moss and Katia Bezerra-Clark owned and operated the business, which shared a space with Handsome Pizza in northeast Portland's Vernon neighborhood starting in 2015. Seastar served breads, cookies, pastries, and toast, among other baked goods. Despite garnering a positive reception and being deemed one of the city's best bakeries by Eater Portland and Portland Monthly, Seastar closed in August 2022.

References

  1. "Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza". PizzaMarketplace.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  2. Rogoway, Mike (April 11, 2019). "Papa Murphy's sells to Canadian firm for $190 million". The Oregonian . Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  3. Papa Murphy's International, Inc. – Company History
  4. "Papa Murphy's". The Canadian Business Journal. September 20, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  5. "Papa Murphy's sold to NY-based Lee Equity Partners". The Oregonian . The Oregonian. April 1, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  6. "Vancouver-based Papa Murphy's sale wraps up". The Oregonian . May 6, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  7. Culverwell, Wendy (November 16, 2012). "Papa Murphy's adds first local store in four years". Portland Business Journal . Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  8. Culverwell, Wendy (July 30, 2013). "An IPO for Papa Murphy's?". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  9. "An IPO for Papa Murphy's?".
  10. Stevens, Suzanne (March 12, 2014). "Papa Murphy's announces plans for an IPO". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  11. Papa Murphy's shares rise modestly on public debut | Corporate News content from Nation's Restaurant News
  12. Jennings, Lisa (November 2, 2016). "Papa Murphy's to launch first-ever national ad campaign in 2017" . Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  13. Sniegowski, Don. "Canada's MTY Buys Troubled Papa Murphy's" . Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  14. "Papa Murphy's Hit With Privacy Suit Over Website Chats - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  15. "Take-n-Bake Pizza Concepts Expand East; Papa Murphy's Leads the Way".
  16. "Nutrition Facts | Papa Murphy's Pizza". Papa Murphy's Take N' Bake Pizza | Order Pizza Online & Signup For Pizza Deals. Retrieved October 28, 2021.