Pizza Patrón, the premier Latino pizza brand, announced today that systemwide comparable sales increased 6.4 percent in March, which comes on the heels of increases of 10.5 and 7.9 percent in February and January, respectively.

“We are strategically positioned to do well despite the economy,” says Andrew Gamm, director of Brand Development for Pizza Patrón. “Much of last year was spent finding areas to reduce costs in our operations so we could avoid passing on any price increases to our customers, and it is now paying off.”

Although Pizza Patrón has been credited with creating the country’s first chain of Latin-focused pizza restaurants, the company is experiencing tremendous success among non-Hispanics who live in the communities where stores are located. Antonio Swad, founder of Pizza Patrón, is featured on the cover of Chain Leader this month. The cover story, “Know Your Audience: Pizza Patrón Caters to Hispanics,” emphasizes the fact that the chain’s unique focus and value proposition has a broad appeal, not only with Hispanics, but with people of every race and ethnic heritage.

“I don’t know if it was the peso campaign or what. We seem to connect to people,” Swad says in his Chain Leader interview.

Swad’s above reference to pesos refers to how Pizza Patrón was vicariously introduced to the entire country and the world through global newscasts when it announced in 2007 that it would accept pesos in all of its U.S. locations.

“Our brand makes no apology for celebrating the diversity of the Latin culture and lifestyle,” Gamm says. “It’s what makes the Pizza Patrón experience different. The peso campaign allowed us to be exposed to a wide audience of pizza lovers who now appreciate the great food and values we bring to families every day.”