On a day when I read news accounts of Circuit City deciding to close off what remains of their electronics retail stores and Filene’s Basement electing to shut down a couple dozen stores acr
oss the country, it was encouraging to see at least one business that sees expansion as the way to go these days.
And when one considers that the business in question, Pizza Patrón, is one that caters to the growing Latino population of this country, it is particularly gratifying to see that they want to double the number of stores they have in this country by year’s end.
NOW MANY OF you may not be familiar with Pizza Patrón. Personally, I have never eaten their food, as they don’t exist in my home part of the United States. It is a Texas-based company whose purpose is to put pizza delivery franchises similar to Domino’s Pizza in markets and neighborhoods where the locals “habla en Español.”
Currently, the company has 90 stores scattered in six southwestern U.S. states, and has agreements to open up stores in four more states. They hope to double the number of stores by the end of 2009.
It is just a nice bit of evidence of the reality that the growing Latino population is one that can make money off of, if it is treated with respect and as a legitimate market – rather than the source of problems that confront our society.
It’s not like they even try to put a “Latino” influence on pizza (although they offer side dishes such as “QuesoStix” and “ChurroStix” – based on the long, thin Mexican pastry).
BUT IT IS just a simple acknowledgement that Latinos who have arrived in the United States truly are working toward assimilation into the greater society of this country. And that means we eat pizza just like a lot of other people in the United States.
If anything, pizza is probably more “American” than it is “Italian.”
But a lot of the major chains have their economic formulas that enable them to determine where they should locate their stores, and when they should consider moving into a particular neighborhood.
Those formulas usually demand a certain economic level among the local residents before a market is considered worthwhile. And that, all too often, means that places like Domino’s wind up heavily in Anglo-oriented neighborhoods.
NOT THAT I think it’s much of a punishment not to have a Domino’s pizza in the neighborhood. I haven’t eaten the stuff since college some two decades ago, and that particular chain’s take on a pizza pie is one of those things from my youth that I refuse to do any longer.
I know better.
But should people in some of the Latino neighborhoods have to go to great lengths to get a pizza, if by chance they don’t live in an area where a somewhat authentic restaurant with Italian food happens to be located?
In such places, Pizza Patrón serves a niche, making it possible for Latinos with a hankering for a pepperoni and mushroom pizza to get their quick fix.
THE FACT THAT the company markets itself as being Latino-friendly merely means that they appreciate the fact that cash in the hands of Latinos is just as valued as it is in anyone else’s hands.
It is also going to create a perception among some people that they’d prefer to spend their money at a friendly business.
How friendly are they?
Take into account the last time that Pizza Patrón got national attention, when the corporate management had their franchises near the U.S./Mexico border start accepting Mexican pesos as payment for pizzas.
THE THEORY WAS that people in that region of the United States might very well have small amounts of both U.S. and Mexican currency in their possession, and they were willing to go through the hassle of converting pesos to dollars, if it meant they could charge some money to sell more pizzas.
The nativists of our society got all offended at that concept, but it did generate them some more business.
It could turn out that more businesses are going to have to adopt a similar attitude, considering the rate at which the portion of the U.S. population with ethnic roots in Latin America is growing.
At 15 percent now (roughly 1 in 6 is Latino), it is expected to grow to about 1 in 3 by 2050. What will complicate the factor is that the Latino ethnic groups will intermix with other ethnicities in this country, which means that even many people who prefer to think of themselves as “white/Anglo/Caucasian/whatever” will have to concede some Latino ethnicity in them.
SO WHILE I’M not all that anxious to eat a ChurroStik, I must admit to respecting the concept of a Latino-influenced pizzeria.
After all, isn’t it more pleasing for the economy to learn of more franchise pizza joints, rather than hearing of fewer stores where the annual “Running of the Brides” bridal gown sale will take place in future years?
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oss the country, it was encouraging to see at least one business that sees expansion as the way to go these days.And when one considers that the business in question, Pizza Patrón, is one that caters to the growing Latino population of this country, it is particularly gratifying to see that they want to double the number of stores they have in this country by year’s end.
NOW MANY OF you may not be familiar with Pizza Patrón. Personally, I have never eaten their food, as they don’t exist in my home part of the United States. It is a Texas-based company whose purpose is to put pizza delivery franchises similar to Domino’s Pizza in markets and neighborhoods where the locals “habla en Español.”
Currently, the company has 90 stores scattered in six southwestern U.S. states, and has agreements to open up stores in four more states. They hope to double the number of stores by the end of 2009.
It is just a nice bit of evidence of the reality that the growing Latino population is one that can make money off of, if it is treated with respect and as a legitimate market – rather than the source of problems that confront our society.
It’s not like they even try to put a “Latino” influence on pizza (although they offer side dishes such as “QuesoStix” and “ChurroStix” – based on the long, thin Mexican pastry).
BUT IT IS just a simple acknowledgement that Latinos who have arrived in the United States truly are working toward assimilation into the greater society of this country. And that means we eat pizza just like a lot of other people in the United States.
If anything, pizza is probably more “American” than it is “Italian.”
But a lot of the major chains have their economic formulas that enable them to determine where they should locate their stores, and when they should consider moving into a particular neighborhood.
Those formulas usually demand a certain economic level among the local residents before a market is considered worthwhile. And that, all too often, means that places like Domino’s wind up heavily in Anglo-oriented neighborhoods.
NOT THAT I think it’s much of a punishment not to have a Domino’s pizza in the neighborhood. I haven’t eaten the stuff since college some two decades ago, and that particular chain’s take on a pizza pie is one of those things from my youth that I refuse to do any longer.
I know better.
But should people in some of the Latino neighborhoods have to go to great lengths to get a pizza, if by chance they don’t live in an area where a somewhat authentic restaurant with Italian food happens to be located?
In such places, Pizza Patrón serves a niche, making it possible for Latinos with a hankering for a pepperoni and mushroom pizza to get their quick fix.
THE FACT THAT the company markets itself as being Latino-friendly merely means that they appreciate the fact that cash in the hands of Latinos is just as valued as it is in anyone else’s hands.
It is also going to create a perception among some people that they’d prefer to spend their money at a friendly business.
How friendly are they?
Take into account the last time that Pizza Patrón got national attention, when the corporate management had their franchises near the U.S./Mexico border start accepting Mexican pesos as payment for pizzas.
THE THEORY WAS that people in that region of the United States might very well have small amounts of both U.S. and Mexican currency in their possession, and they were willing to go through the hassle of converting pesos to dollars, if it meant they could charge some money to sell more pizzas.
The nativists of our society got all offended at that concept, but it did generate them some more business.
It could turn out that more businesses are going to have to adopt a similar attitude, considering the rate at which the portion of the U.S. population with ethnic roots in Latin America is growing.
At 15 percent now (roughly 1 in 6 is Latino), it is expected to grow to about 1 in 3 by 2050. What will complicate the factor is that the Latino ethnic groups will intermix with other ethnicities in this country, which means that even many people who prefer to think of themselves as “white/Anglo/Caucasian/whatever” will have to concede some Latino ethnicity in them.
SO WHILE I’M not all that anxious to eat a ChurroStik, I must admit to respecting the concept of a Latino-influenced pizzeria.
After all, isn’t it more pleasing for the economy to learn of more franchise pizza joints, rather than hearing of fewer stores where the annual “Running of the Brides” bridal gown sale will take place in future years?
-30-
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