The winning recipes from Pizza Inn Inc.'s 2011 National Culinary Contest – the Grilled Cheese Pizza and the Buttered Cinnasugar Pizzert – are now featured on the chain's menu.
The annual contest invites franchise owners and employees across the system to submit recipes for potential menu inclusion.
Grilled Cheese Pizza
The Grilled Cheese Pizza boasts a grilled cheese center on New York crust, a grilled cheese sauce and a generous mix of mozzarella and cheddar. The item was created by 31-year Pizza Inn veteran Debbie Seaton, of Elizabethton, Tenn.
Seaton began her career immediately after high school as a server at Pizza Inn. After holding every job from host, to cook, to prep person, to shift leader, the now-manager says she knew what the chain's customers would like.
"I wanted to create something simple and delicious, and have fun with it in the process," she said.
Seaton's Pizza Inn location averages about 40 Grilled Cheese Pizzas a week on the buffet.
Buttered Cinnasugar Pizzert
The creator of the Buttered Cinnasugar Pizzert also tapped into customer cravings. Perfected at the Pizza Inn in Greenwood, Miss., the Pizzert offers layers of sugary cinnamon cookie dough goodness drizzled with icing.
"Our customers love to indulge in the new Buttered Cinnasugar Pizzert," said Bob Singh, who owns the Greenwood restaurant and five other Pizza Inn locations in Mississippi. "It's a wonderful complement to our already popular menu."
The winning recipes secured the winners a trip to the national Pizza Inn meeting in Tunica, Miss., the title of the 2011 Culinary Challenge winner and $1,000 in cash.
"Our Pizza Inn team members know our customers so well. The Grilled Cheese Pizza and Buttered Cinnasugar Pizzert are proof, once again, that great ideas and delicious recipes can come from the field," said Charlie Morrison, president and CEO of Pizza Inn.
Read more about food and beverage launches.
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