Pizza chain enters Nashua, N.H., market

Nov. 18--NASHUA -- With a new location on East Hollis Street -- its first in the city -- set to open Tuesday, Sal's Pizza will go head-to-head with one of the oldest pizza parlors in town.

So, how will Sal's distinguish itself from Nashua House of Pizza?

A 19-inch, 3-pound pizza for $8.99.

"We dwarf the competition," said Sal Lupoli, 39, chief executive officer of Sal's, a retail franchise with 24 other locations in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida.

"What's different about our pizza is we make our pizza from scratch every single day," Lupoli said. "We use fresh tomatoes; we grind them up ourselves, and we use the best cheese on the market."

Every pizza topping is fresh, he said, and Sal's even makes spinach pizza.

Lupoli, who founded the company with his brother, Nick Jr., is no stranger to competition. When the brothers opened their first location in Salem in 1990, there were 27 pizzerias in the area. Competition, Lupoli said, is exciting.

"That means that people in that area eat pizza; we just want to be part of that," he said. "We want to be next to all the best pizza places."

Nashua House declined to comment. Their 10-inch plain pizza sells for $4.95, while a large, 16-inch pizza costs $7.95.

Sal's has been trying to open a location in Nashua for more than a decade, Lupoli said. He prefers to own property where he sets up shop, but always found it difficult to find anything available or affordable in Nashua.

However, Lupoli heard about the 22 E. Hollis St. space owned by Barry Williams of B&S Realty of Nashua, checked it out and then signed a long-term lease. The building, connected to Meineke Car Care, formerly housed Rockin' Robins ice cream store, which went out of business last January just eight months after opening.

Lupoli said he has no question he'll survive in the 960-square-foot space, which is considerably smaller than the 2,000 or 3,000 square feet they usually occupy, because he is a family-oriented operation. Add to that the high-traffic location and lot with plenty of parking.

"With this location, we were so anxious that we really took a chance on what we typically go for," Lupoli said.

The Nashua store will be Sal's 25th location, and is corporate-owned.

The nearby locations in Merrimack and Milford are franchised, as are 45 percent of the Sal's stores.

Sal's is also opening a store in Amesbury, Mass., at the end of next week, and has signed a letter of intent to open a 27th location in Middleton, Mass.

Lupoli and his brother Nick Jr. started the $23 million a year company in 1990 after graduating from Northeastern. They decided to go into the pizza business, following in the footsteps of their late father, also a restaurateur.

Lupoli researched how McDonald's and Subway started, and learned that the fast food business is the largest food segment in the nation. Pizza, he said, is a $50 billion a year industry.

"We wanted to serve the biggest pizza out there, the tastiest pizza out there, and at the best price," Lupoli said.

About 100,000 pizzas a week are made from scratch in a 35,000-square-foot commissary, or central location, in Salem. The pizzas are then shipped to the various Sal's retail stores as needed.

Sal's has had just four price increases in 15 years, and prides itself with producing an affordable product for working class families.

"When times are good, people want to eat our pizza because the quality is superior," Lupoli said. "When times are bad, people want to eat our pizza because of the value."

"If I gave you the recipe," Lupoli said, "you couldn't buy the ingredients, make the product, and factor in your time, for cheaper than what I can sell it to you for."
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Gift cards for pizza

Nov. 28--PEORIA -- Monical Pizza Corp. is jumping on the gift card bandwagon.

The regional pizza chain, based in Bradley, will roll out a new gift card program in December at most of its 55 restaurants throughout central Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin as a way for guests to "put a pizza in their pocket," said Monical President Harry Bond.

"The electronic cards offer advantages to our management and guests," Bond said. "These are much easier to store and display because unlike paper certificates, they have no value until they're activated at the point of sale." The Monical's cards can be loaded with prepaid amounts in $5 increments, providing a consumer with plastic currency that works like cash, he said.

The success and popularity of electronic gift cards for other retailers and restaurants prompted the pizza company to roll out their own program, said Jim Hedge, Monical's marketing specialist. "This is something we've wanted to do for awhile," he said.

The paper certificates, while still being accepted, eventually will be phased out in favor of the plastic cards, he said.

While the launch coincides with the company's annual rush for holiday gift certificates, the new gift card program will be offered as a year-round convenient gift or payment option for consumers, Bond said.

The company predicts its conversion to plastic gift cards will result in increased year-round sales, and open the door to development of more program opportunities in the future. The plastic cards also will be incorporated into Monical's school scrip fundraising program, used by several schools in central Illinois.

An exact date as to when the gift cards will be available has not been set, but they will be available at most Monical restaurants in the area before Christmas, including the restaurants in Peoria, Washington, Morton and Pekin, Hedge said.

http://www.pjstar.com

(ALL AROUND THE TOWN) PIZZA

The gang's all here — and all hungry.

SOUTH • Uno's Chicago Grill • Dense-yet-flaky Chicago-style deep crust is layered with hot melted cheese, slathered with chunky tomato sauce and buried under toppings. Makes you understand how pizza's inventors saw a single slice as a whole meal. 4740 E. Southport Rd., 797-8667

DOWNTOWN • Giorgio's Pizza • This cramped, no-frills, cafeteria-style pizzeria just off the Circle doesn't look all that promising — but the line of people waiting for a piece of good 'za frequently stretches out the door. The wide triangle of sweet sauce and plenty of cheese on toasty crust crunches just a little when you fold it in half to eat; the stuffed versions require a knife, fork and plenty of napkins. 9 E. Market St., 687-9869

WEST • Eh! Formaggio • The owner, a New York native, knows from pizza. Whether you like your pies crackly thin (the standard), stuffed two inches thick with cheese and meat (Sicilian deep-dish), made with goat cheese and artichoke hearts (fancy!), or plain old pepperoni, it's the real deal. 5570 Lafayette Rd., 217-1890

EAST • Some Guys • The cooks here approach a thin, crunchy crust as a canvas, creating masterpieces with thin brushstrokes of tomato sauce; gentle dustings of cheese; thick, round, warm, sliced tomatoes; bright green, fresh basil; and scattered chunks of garlic. It's edible art. 6235 Allisonville Rd., 257-1364

NORTH • Puccini's Smiling Teeth • When you're all about the cheese (and who isn't?), try Puccini's, where they toss mozzarella, provolone and Romano on each and every soft-crusted pie. Try one of the house favorites (the Campfire has smoked sausage, sweet onion marmalade, Gorgonzola and fresh rosemary; the Ultimate Warrior piles on sausage, pepperoni, onions, black olives, mushrooms and green peppers) or add your own goodies, from chili oil and clams to capers and goat cheese. Marina Village, 842-2356,

http://www.puccinissmilingteeth.com