Pizza Inn, Inc., announced today the opening of its newest buffet-style restaurant at 849 North Judge Ely Boulevard in Abilene, Texas.

“As we continue to grow our brand in various markets across the country, we are thrilled to bring our freshly made pizzas, pastas and other popular menu items back to Abilene,” says Charlie Morrison, CEO of Pizza Inn. “We are confident that the local residents are just as excited as we are about Pizza Inn’s return to the area.”

Russell Verner, Charles Verner, and Gene Conger are Pizza Inn’s newest franchisees and owners of the new restaurant in Abilene. Veterans of the restaurant industry with more than 50 years of combined experience, the group has added Pizza Inn to a franchise portfolio that already includes ownership in 14 Sonic Drive-Ins throughout Texas. The Verners and Conger plan to open a second Pizza Inn in Abilene later this year.

“We’re extremely excited about joining the Pizza Inn family and bringing the quality and value of Pizza Inn’s products to Abilene,” says Verner, who has fond memories of family outings at the restaurant in Mineral Wells. “We look forward to providing local Pizza Inn customers with the same experience we had ourselves when we were kids.”

In an effort to further increase national and regional growth, Pizza Inn is seeking single- and multi-unit franchisees, as well as area developers in select regions of the country. As a result, Pizza Inn recently launched a development incentive program to entice franchisees otherwise discouraged by the current credit market. The incentive program offers a 50 percent reduction in the initial franchise fee from $25,000 to only $12,500, a 50 percent reduction in royalties for year one from 4 percent to 2 percent, and the same 50 percent reduction in royalties for year two, with years three and beyond at the standard 4 percent. This incentive applies to new construction of U.S. buffet restaurants only.