Uno Restaurant Holdings Corp. has announced the opening of more than 160 new Uno Express locations in sports arenas, airports, tourism centers, universities and other locations within the past 15 months. The new quick-serve concept provides a flexible menu at a low cost of entry, opening new opportunities to provide Uno's signature menu to guests on the go.
The company initially tested the concept in 2008 at two BJ's Wholesale Clubs in Massachusetts. It quickly took flight and grew more rapidly than originally anticipated. "We are now averaging one new UNO Express launch per week," said Jamie Strobino, senior vice president of new concept development at Uno.
Uno Express is a third brand iteration that works as a quick-service pizza vehicle in tandem with mainstay casual eatery Uno Chicago Grill and Uno Due Go, an emerging player in the fast casual segment. Uno Express focuses almost entirely on providing Uno restaurant quality pizza in non-traditional and classic food service venues. The virtues of Uno Express include:
- Flexibility in design with low cost of entry
- The benefit of an Uno manufacturing facility, allowing the delivery of a consistent, high-quality product, which results in a corresponding low-cost labor solution
- The power of the Uno brand, which supports a higher price-point and, in effect, a greater return
Uno is working with major players in the contract foodservice world to leverage a variety of new distribution channels that fit the Uno Express model. For example, Uno Express can now be found in numerous sporting venues including Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas; Tsongas Arena, Lowell, Mass.; and the Boston Garden, where Uno is the official pizza.
