56 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • JUNE 2016
chain profle
The buffet chain dropped "pizza" from its
name, moved away from the commodity
feeder look and developed a smaller, far
more effcient kitchen.
By Toby Weber, Contributing Editor
F
ifteen years is a long time in any industry. Trends
come and go, customer tastes change and entire seg-
ments emerge.
That's certainly been the case in foodservice.
Over the last 15 years, the sector has seen the rise of fast
casual, the spread of technology and elevated customer ex-
pectations for practically every dining experience.
Yet up until a couple of months ago, little had changed
at Cici's since the turn of the century. The chain offered cus-
tomers a pizza buffet in an environment that was functional
but little more. "The brand hadn't done any kind of major
change to decor, look, signage, any of that, for 15-plus years,"
says chief operating offcer Steven Jones. "Most brands do
that somewhere in a 7- to 10-year timeframe."
Recognizing the need to evolve with the times, the chain's
leadership developed a new prototype that offers diners a
CICI'S UPS ITS GAME