The PMQ/CHD Top 400

PMQ and CHD Expert have collaborated to present the Pizza Industry's most authoritative directory of pizza chain management and pizza chain business information.

This 2020 Pizza Chain Directly Identifies the top 424 Pizza Chains with headquarters, management contacts and unit locations.

• 38,000 Individual contacts

• Years in Business. Pizza Concept ID

• Number of employees

• Menu Type and Pizza Concept ID

• Latitude/Longitude of each unit

• Market segment and description

For purchasing information, visit pmq.com/pizzachain400

With turmoil stirring up the third-party delivery business, it was only a matter of time before others would hop on board to compete with the major players. One of these was started by David Litchman, a Chicago-area restaurateur and founder of BellyMelly, which was designed to help local operators compete with third-party sites. The service charges a processing fee of 3% per takeout or delivery order, and the app helps owners donate a portion of the bill to charity. “I’ve spent more than 30 years in the restaurant industry and have seen firsthand how third-party technologies—and their hidden fees, penalties and charges—can cause serious problems for local restaurants,” Litchman says. “We want to help local restaurants thrive, instead of pocketing a large commission at the expense of our restaurant partners.”

For takeout or delivery, a customer orders from a local restaurant using the BellyMelly app or online portal and, upon checkout, the user selects from a list of local community organizations to donate a percentage of the sale price, at no cost to the user. Each restaurant then decides an appropriate percentage to donate to its community partner of choice— anything from nonprofit organizations to local schools— and BellyMelly collects payment, sends the profit to the restaurant, and shares donations directly with the community organization.

Meanwhile, in high-traffic New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Relay offers another alternative to thirdparty delivery companies. The on-demand service dispatches couriers to restaurants when they have pending orders for delivery. “We can help restaurants bring deliveries in-house (customers can order directly from their website or over the phone), but we can also help them deliver orders from online platforms,” notes Marissa Venuto, senior account executive, sales and partnerships, for New York City-based Relay. “Pizza is one of the most popular and difficult items to deliver, so all of Relay’s couriers are prepared with the proper equipment, including pizza racks and bags.” Generally, Relay charges restaurants a flat fee, so the restaurant can pass it along to the customer in the form of a delivery fee, if desired.

John’s of Bleecker, a historic pizzeria in Manhattan, now taps Relay for its delivery services. In a video testimonial, John’s representative Ben Sheedy said, “I was looking for a way to make our delivery more efficient. The biggest benefit...is the speed with which we’re able to fulfill orders.”

Ultimately, whether you choose one of the big-name companies or an up-and-coming competitor, check the fine print on fees, charges and policies; ensure customer service is top-notch, in case there’s an issue; and consider passing along at least some of the surcharges to customers so you’re gaining, not giving up on, profits. With the proper procedures in place, third-party services could prove a significant moneymaker for years to come at your operation.

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.