The FINANCIAL — Georgians’ favourite American pizzeria – Ronny’s Pizza – strives to be the number one choice for American-style pizza in Georgia.
And this goal has been achieved as Ronny’s Pizza recently won a Golden Brand award, which reveals the best companies in Georgia, as the favourites of over 100 experts as well as customers.
Eric Binder and Amy Binder, founders of Ronny’s Pizza, say that maintaining integrity, excellence and love as Ronny’s core business values has contributed to its success and is one of the most important achievements of the company since 2009 in Georgia.
In this interview Eric and Amy talked about the success story of Ronny’s Pizza in Georgia and revealed the company’s future plans.
Q. Ronny’s Pizza has become a number one Golden Brand, which experts and customers have together decided on as their favourite brand in its category. In your opinion, why did the experts and customers all name Ronny’s Pizza their favourite, and how important is this award for you?
A. We as a team are honoured to serve up our classic American-style pizza in this city we call home. Our quality and our values make us different from other brands.
We as a team strive to be the number one choice for American-style pizza. We stay true to our vision with a focus on quality and service. I think we have the best fans in Tbilisi, and we share this award with them because we would not have achieved this without them.
Q. Tell us about Ronny’s Pizza – for how long has the pizzeria operated on the Georgian market and what is the company’s biggest achievement and biggest challenge it ever overcame?
A. We started in the summer of 2009 with some pre-planning in 2008. Language and cultural barriers were the largest obstacles for us as founders, since this was a new environment for us. Building a strong team that is committed to our values of integrity, excellence and love is one of our most important achievements. Seeing our happy fans is also very rewarding.
Q. Why did you decide to open an American-style pizzeria in Georgia?
A. We decided this based on some strategic long term objectives and the open nature of the market in 2009. We were warmly welcomed when we came to Tbilisi as a family, and this had a tremendously positive impact on us. We dreamed of becoming the number one pizzeria in Georgia and have not stopped striving for that since.
Q. What is the menu assortment like at Ronny’s Pizza and how many products does it contain?
A. When you consider that you can customise a pizza in any fashion you desire there are literally thousands of choices! Don’t forget Super Sticks, our world famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, and the great Ronny’s Sodas too!
Q. Do you plan to add new products/pizzas and if so, which ones?
A. We are always looking for new ways to make our fans happy. Let us know what you would like to see on our menu by reaching out to us on social media at @ronnyspizza. We hope to have a few surprises in the future.
Q. As far as I’m aware, there are three branches of Ronny’s Pizza in Georgia. Are you going to expand further in the country?
A. Our business is growing, and we continue to look for strategic locations for future pizzerias. Our next branch will be in Didi Dighomi. Meanwhile, come visit us in Saburtalo, Vake or Gldani!
We get lots of requests to open our stores. The best ever request was a young person asking if we could open one in their bedroom. I told you, we have the best fans!
Q. Do foreigners also visit Ronny’s Pizza, and how popular is it with them?
A. When we first opened in 2009, the Americans from the US Embassy community were definitely our most valuable customers. It was their enthusiasm that helped us through some difficult times.
As you remember, the financial crisis and post-war attitude was very bleak at times. But our Georgian friends and fans are really the energy behind us now in 2018.
Q. How do you compete with Italian pizzerias which are also very popular in Tbilisi?
A. We as a team don’t look over our shoulders, as the saying goes. At the same time, Italian-style and American-style pizzas are different. Both can be excellent! I, Eric, grew up on authentic Italian pizza, and I would suggest there is still not a clear choice in that category in Tbilisi yet.
Q. In your opinion, what are customers’ favourite items at Ronny’s Pizza?
A. Our fans are a crazy cool bunch of wildly different people from a diverse set of backgrounds. They all share a love for freedom and a love for great pizza!
Q. What are the challenges that your business and this segment face in Georgia, and in general how is the food business characterised/developed in the country?
A. We do our best to operate honestly and with integrity, and that means we do our best to comply with rules and regulations. We try to stay out of politics and concentrate on serving a high quality pizza at a fair price in a clean and fun environment.
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