America's Incredible Pizza Company

History

America's Incredible Pizza Company, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, is owned by Rick and Cheryl Barsness. The couple entered the pizza business with a single restaurant in Victoria, Texas and by 1975, owned 11 franchises of Gatti's Pizza.

AIPC grew out of an idea from its founder, Rick Barsness. When Barsness was a hockey player in high school, his team reached the state championships, but his father never attended a game. His father's absence nurtured a boyhood dream of a place where families could eat and have fun together. This was the type of place Barsness wished he could have spent time with his father.

In 2003, years of legal battles came to an end when Rick Barsness agreed to pay Gatti's a $1 million settlement. Mr. Gatti's had charged that Barsness had violated his franchise contract with them, and had taken trade secrets. In addition to the $1 million payout, Barsness also agreed to pay Mr. Gatti's Inc. 1% of IPC's net sales for the next 10 years.

AIPC started franchising and established its corporate headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2003. It moved the headquarters to Springfield, Missouri in 2009.

AIPC restaurants have an average of 250 employees and it costs $5–9 million to start a restaurant.

America's Incredible Pizza announced that its location at Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis would close March 19, 2012.

Locations and format

At the AIPC, the music and decorations have a 1950s theme. AIPC has a buffet style pizza, pasta, salad, and dessert bar, with several seating areas for customers to eat. The restaurant has 30 types of pizza and an 80-item salad bar. An AIPC restaurant has an average area of 65,000 to 70,000 square feet (6,000 to 6,500 m²). The restaurant is smoke-free and alcohol-free. It has an arcade, go-karts, billiards, bowling, and miniature golf, among other activities.

As of October 2016, eight locations remain in operation in the United States, and three in Mexico.

Incredible Pizza Company Foundation

In fall 2007, the Incredible Pizza Company founders, Rick and Cheryl Barsness, founded the Incredible Pizza Company Foundation (IPC Foundation) for the goal of donating to missionaries and orphanages. On February 20, 2008, the IPC Foundation gave $24,000 to the Convoy of Hope, a non-profit organization. In September 2008, the IPCF donated $6,500 to Care to Learn, a fund managed by the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.

Sponsor Of The NASCAR Racing Team

America's Incredible Pizza Company was the primary sponsor of number 11 CJM Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. On June 17, 2008, Jason Keller, the driver of the Incredible Pizza-sponsored car, attended the opening of the 15th Incredible Pizza restaurant in Mesquite, Texas. In 2008, first complete NASCAR season that the AIPC sponsored a racing team, the team finished in 17th place. In July 2008, CJM Racing and the AIPC partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing. The partnership between the two racing teams included the NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr., who received 13th place out of 52 cars in the No. 11 America's Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet in October 2008. The sponsorship ended in December 2009 when CJM Racing suspended operations.

Awards

In 2008, the America's Pizza Company was named a "Top Family Entertainment Center of the World" (TFEC) from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), which places it among one of the top five entertainment centers in the world. Also in 2008, the America's Pizza Company in Springfield, Missouri won the "Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party" award from Riverfront Times. In 2008, AIPC was rated the 456th fastest growing company in the United States by the Inc 500. In the Inc. Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies, AIPC was rated number 12th, with a 693.1% growth.