Franchise Blog
Flagstaff, Arizona: 1/13/2020
Brandy & Lance Simpler:
Meet Brandy and Lance, the proud owners of the Pita Pit in Flagstaff, Arizona! The two have been business owners for over 25 years, and are looking forward to applying our experience to our endeavor as a part of the Pita Pit family.
"Pita Pit has been serving Flagstaff since 2003 and has a long list of loyal patrons! College students, tourists, and locals who can handle the 7500 feet of elevation love the historic downtown location right off Route 66! Be sure to snap a selfie in front of our historic clock marking your visit to Flagstaff and Pita Pit. Take a seat at our window and enjoy people watching with a view of the haunted hotel and historic views before going out to enjoy our entertaining nightlife in downtown Flagstaff!
We have 4 amazing children, ranging in age from 2 to 15, the 15-year-old already thinks she has a job. We spend our time with our kids, coaching the many activities they find themselves in. Between cheer, motocross, boating, baseball, football, and soccer, we find ways to keep ourselves busy all year round! Brandy coaches cheer at our kid's school and I (Lance) coach baseball. Our family's favorite collective activity has to be tubing the lake in the summer. My favorite (as the driver) is seeing their faces as they are flying off the tube.
We sincerely hope that if you ever find yourself in Flagstaff, possibly on a trip to the Grand Canyon, that you would stop by and say hi!"
Mankato, Minnesota: 1/8/2020
Ryan & Rachel Schmitz:
Meet our Ryan and Rachel, the newest members of the Pita Pit team after taking the reins at Pita Pit Mankato!
Both of them live in Mankato and loved the concept of being part of an amazing business. Ryan owns landscaping and custom closet companies, while Rachel works as a nurse in a hospital. Between the two of them, they have 5 kiddos (all in sports), two dogs, a hamster, and several fish. You could say they love a good challenge! They just knew that going forward with Pita Pit was the right thing to do when they took all their kids on a blind test of trying pitas and all of them loved it and wanted to come back for more!
Cerritos, California: 1/3/2020
Israel Carranza:
“We became interested in joining Pita Pit after we first visited the Cerritos location and we fell in love with the flavors and overall restaurant appeal. We decided Pita Pit could be a building block in our pursuit to build a better life for our family and enable us to give more back to our community and beyond! We live by the philosophy “No job is too big or too small”. My husband and I met in a workplace, and we connected on each other’s willingness to assist with any job duty or request no matter what.
As business owners, we are always looking for new ways to pay it forward! We are teaching our daughters the principle of being as kind and empathetic as possible in the world and hope to always be setting a good example. We hope to be able to show this to our customers by making them always feel wanted and appreciated. After all, it always feels good to go to a business that acknowledges your presence and makes you comfortable!”
Hauppauge, New York: 12/10/2019
Krista Marucheau & Adeline Watkins:
Krista: “When my husband became permanently disabled due to spinal cord injury, I realized I had to make moves for my family. I asked my mom and best friend who just recently retired a few years prior if she would be interested in adding more hats to her closet on top of being a mom, wife, grandmother and now business partner.
We were always interested in getting into a restaurant business because it gets you to connect very closely with your customers. I have always been a people person and love being actively involved within the community. I was a religion teacher, girl scout leader, volunteered with my kids at animal shelters and soup kitchens. I thought owning a business gives us more of a platform to give back by donating to local organizations and holding fundraisers. As a family, we believe in the saying "If you don't follow your dream, you'll be working for someone who did." Hauppauge is an amazing community and we look forward to living the dream again as Long Island’s first Pita Pit!”
Fort Myers, Florida: 11/25/2019
Erin Donati:
Meet Erin, our newest franchisee who just took over our location in Fort Myers, FL!
"Much of my motivation comes from being sick as a child. I had developed a tumor on my right kidney when I was seven. While I don't remember all of the pain and heartache my parents went through, I remember enough. They had to make hard choices about my life. I am sure some were not easy. It’s something I hope no one ever experiences but it made me who I am today. It inspires me to continue on my journey because anything I face won’t be as tough as having cancer as a youth. I can proudly say I'm 32+ years cancer-free!
I have a few philosophies but I think the two that stand out for me are living life to its fullest and if you don't work for it, you will end up in the same spot you are in today. I never want to look back on my life and say oh I should have done this, or I wish I had not done that. I have no regrets in life and love every day I am here. I was brought up to work hard and life pays you in the end. I put my all into everything I do and that is why I am here today buying a franchise and starting the next chapter in my life.”
Soldotna, Alaska: 10/17/2019
Aaron Swanson:
Aaron and his wife, Darcy, have made the Kenai Peninsula their home for the last 21 years and enjoy all that Alaska has to offer.
"Bringing a Pita Pit franchise into the community we love has been a great joy and we look forward to sharing awesome food and our fun atmosphere with our friends and neighbors," said Aaron.
Daniel Swanson
Daniel and Haylee both grew up on the Kenai Peninsula. They have one daughter, Arya, and another daughter coming in January. Their family is super excited to be a part of something so fun and fresh.
Honolulu, HI: 7/11/2019
Justin Peterson