Your Pie announced a successful first quarter on Wednesday, including its biggest ever Pi(e) Day event on March 14 and national recognition for its leadership through industry events, conferences and media.

For its 11th annual Pi(e) Day event, Your Pie rolled out the red carpet for Hollywood-themed festivities and $3.14 pizza deals all day. Guests lined up to celebrate the holiday with Your Pie’s personalized, brick-oven pizza. At more than 60 locations nationwide, Your Pie served 54,318 pizzas, marking the brand’s biggest Pi(e) Day event to date.

Your Pie’s guest experience was recognized well beyond Pi(e) Day in Q1. Your Pie Founder and President Drew French was featured on Forbes as a leader who is transforming the customer experience and shared his insights alongside other top executives.

“Having the best product in the category doesn’t matter if your customer experience is not of equal caliber,” says French. “At Your Pie, maintaining consistent operational outputs is the first step, and we build upon that by learning our customers’ names, making a second table touch and providing an experience that creates a shareable moment.”

French and other members of the Your Pie leadership team headed to Las Vegas in March to attend the world’s largest pizza trade show, the International Pizza Expo, to experience the latest in operations, marketing, vendors and more. At the show, French and Culinary Manager Grant Fox competed among the industry’s best in the International Pizza Expo with an original creation, the Tomato and Pancetta Pie. The same month, Marketing Director Hassy Braggs served as a featured panelist at the annual Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit in Louisville, Kentucky, sharing his expertise in online consumer behavior and digital marketing trends.

“Our leadership team has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we value the opportunity to join and learn from our industry peers across the country,” French says. “Maintaining fresh ideas for our customers and our brand comes from traveling, listening and seeking continual inspiration.”

In Q1, Your Pie’s Chief Operating Officer, Dave McDougall, also announced his top priorities for the brand in 2019, including investments in new technology to improve online ordering and optimizing systems for the best possible experience for both customers and store teams.

Your Pie opened a new restaurant in Canton, Georgia, this quarter and plans for continued growth in Q2. In addition to preparing its new franchisees to open in the second quarter, Your Pie has several existing franchisees who are in progress on second, third and fourth stores in areas like Billings, Montana; St. Augustine, Florida; and Dublin, Woodstock and Dahlonega, Georgia. Your Pie has more than 60 restaurants open across 19 states, with nearly 50 locations in development.

Your Pie was founded in 2008 by culinary entrepreneur Drew French, who aimed to create a first-of-its-kind restaurant concept offering high quality, brick-oven pizza at incredible speed. While family recipes and Italian culture helped lay the foundation for its processes and exceptional quality, Your Pie has continued to build upon this foundation with new ingredients, innovative recipes and endless choices to create a pizza experience with traditional roots, but a flair all its own.