Pizza Patron announced a same-store comparable sales increase of 8.8 percent for the month of August. The company attributes a recession-busting promotion, increased ad spending, and highly targeted marketing efforts to its increase in sales and customer traffic.

The three-month-long, Monday through Wednesday “Dia del Patron” promotion was successful in increasing both Pizza Patron’s market share and sales. During the first three weeks after related direct-mail pieces arrived to Dallas-area homes, Pizza Patron saw Monday through Wednesday same-store comparable sales increase nearly 50 percent over the same period last year and the number of pies sold increased 115 percent over last year.

“Dia del Patron” ran from July through September in most markets and was extended through October due to the customer response and high demand. The promotion features the company’s 12-inch medium Amigo Pizzas with pepperoni priced at $2.99 each—with no limit on purchases.

“We decided in late 2008 to focus on the neighborhoods within two miles of each store in 2009, and it has worked tremendously. This customer appreciation program has been very successful in each of the markets in which it was launched,” says Andrew Gamm, brand director for Pizza Patron. “The ultra-competitive pricing and unbeatable values have strengthened our relationship with current customers and expanded our market share tremendously this year.”