America's Incredible Pizza Company (AIPC) is an American

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

based in Springfield,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. The restaurants are pizza

buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...

s and

entertainment center An entertainment center (or centre), also known as an entertainment complex, is a piece of furniture designed to house consumer electronic appliances and components, such as televisions. Evolution of home TV and stereo A stereo console (or "con ...

s. The first restaurant opened in Springfield in 2002. The company has 1,200 employees, and a revenue of $64.1 million.

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 Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...

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 Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

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.Whiteman (2006) In 2003, years of legal battles came to an end when Rick Barsness agreed to pay Gatti's a $1 million

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

. Mr. Gatti's had charged that Barsness had violated his franchise

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

with them, and had taken

trade secret Trade secrets are a type of intellectual property that includes formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of information that have inherent economic value because they are not generally known or readily ...

s. 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 Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

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.Whiteman (2006), p. 5. America's Incredible Pizza announced that its location at

Lafayette Square Mall Lafayette Square Mall is a shopping mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Developed in 1968 by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., the mall is locally-owned by Sojos Capital Group. The anchor store is Shoppers World. There are three vacant anchor ...

in Indianapolis would close March 19, 2012.

Locations and format

As of May 2021, 9 out of the 25+ total locations remain in operation in the United States, and 3 in Mexico. At the AIPC, the music and decorations have a 1950s theme. AIPC has a

style pizza,

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ar ...

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...

, and dessert bar, with several seating areas for customers to eat. These include the Starlite Drive In, Family Room, Diner, and Gym. The restaurant has 30 types of pizza and an 80-item salad bar. An AIPC restaurant has an average area of .Whiteman (2006), p.4. The restaurant is smoke-free and

alcohol-free Alcohol-Free is a song by South Korean girl group Twice. Alcohol-free may also refer to: *Alcohol-free zone, zones that disallow the consumption of alcohol * Alcohol-free bar, a type of bar that does not serve alcoholic beverages *Alcohol Free ( ...

. It has an

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

, go-karts,

billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . There are three major subdivisions ...

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...

, and miniature golf, among other activities.

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

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

s. On February 20, 2008, the IPC Foundation gave $24,000 to the

Convoy of Hope Convoy of Hope is an American nonprofit humanitarian and disaster relief organization that provides food, supplies, and humanitarian services to impoverished or otherwise needy populations throughout the world. The organization also engages in d ...

, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. In September 2008, the IPCF donated $6,500 to Care to Learn, a fund managed by the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.

NASCAR sponsorship

America's Incredible Pizza Company was the primary sponsor of number 11

CJM Racing CJM Racing was a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. It fielded the No. 11 car for a variety of drivers. Sprint Cup Series Businessmen Bryan and Tony Mullet formed Victory Motorsports in 2006 when they purchased the Sprint Cup equipment of Faith Mot ...

in the

NASCAR Nationwide Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

in 2008 and 2009. On June 17, 2008,

Jason Keller Jason Keller (born April 23, 1970) is an American professional stock car racing driver. Previously, he was a mainstay in NASCAR's second-tier series, competing in 519 Nationwide Series races between 1991 and 2010. On May 15, 2010, Keller made his ...

, the driver of the Incredible Pizza-sponsored car, attended the opening of the 15th Incredible Pizza restaurant in

Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a suburban city located east of the city of Dallas, Texas, in the United States. Most of the city is located in Dallas County, though a small portion extends into Kaufman County. As of 2019 census estimates, the population was ...

. 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 AIPC partnered with

Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization owned and operated by former Washington Redskins (today the Washington Commanders) coach Joe Gibbs, which first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991. His ...

. The partnership between the two racing teams included the NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr., who finished 13th in the No. 11 America's Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing includin ...

in October 2008. The sponsorship ended in December 2009 when CJM Racing suspended operations. Keller provided the best run for the team, a third at

Gateway Motorsports Park World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway International Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park) is a motorsport racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a ...

in 2008.

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 The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) represents over 6,000 amusement-industry members in more than 100 countries worldwide and operates several global attractions-industry trade shows. Its annual IAAPA Expo in ...

(IAAPA), which places it among the top five entertainment centers in the world. 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.

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website

Official website in Mexico
{{pizza chains Companies based in Springfield, Missouri Economy of the Southwestern United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Pizza chains of the United States Restaurants established in 2002 Pizza franchises Economy of the Midwestern United States Video arcades Buffet restaurants 2002 establishments in Missouri