Time for a Meltdown!

    COPPELL, TX, May 01, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- CiCi's Pizza has introduced the newest pizza on its custom buffet, The Meltdown, made with Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella cheeses with signature Italiano sauce topped with an oregano seasoning blend on a thin, crisp Italiano crust.

The delicious new pizza is the third in CiCi's Italiano line, joining the Pepperoni & Sausage Italiano and the Veggie Italiano in the permanent CiCi's buffet rotation. It is being rolled out with a national advertising campaign featuring the tagline "So good it makes grown men cry."

"The Meltdown was well received by guests throughout our extensive research process, scoring high marks for its delicious crust, Italiano sauce and unique cheese combination," said CiCi's Pizza CEO Mike Shumsky. "CiCi's is known for our delicious custom buffet, and The Meltdown is a great addition to our lineup."

The new product introductions are part of the company's continued 10-year "Build the Brand" initiative. CiCi's brought on Senior Food and Beverage Director Rebecca Stone in 2011 to drive menu innovation, and in 2012, the company launched a new ad campaign, "There's More Where That Came From," strategically designed to highlight CiCi's distinctive pizzas and extensive variety offering.

The Meltdown is the second new specialty pizza CiCi's has introduced this year and, at just 90 calories per slice, it offers a lighter pizza option on the famous CiCi's buffet. CiCi's also recently introduced The Hog Fest with crisp bacon, Italian sausage, sliced ham and pepperoni. Other innovative pizzas on the menu include the Mac & Cheese, Philly Cheesesteak and Cheeseburger pizzas.

CiCi's makes all its pizzas using hand-stretched dough, sauce prepared in small batches using a special blend of herbs and seasonings, freshly grated cheese and crisp vegetables. Starting at just $4.99, CiCi's custom buffet, featuring pizza, pasta, soup, salad and desserts, offers variety, quality and value.

About CiCi's Pizza
Coppell, Texas-based CiCi's Pizza opened its first restaurant in Plano, Texas, in 1985, and is now one of the nation's fastest growing pizza chains. The family-oriented restaurant, known for its pizza, pasta, salad, soup and dessert buffet, has nearly 600 restaurants in 35 states. In 2011, Zagat recognized CiCi's on its list of most child-friendly fast-food chains, and Entrepreneur named CiCi's first in its category on the Franchise 500 list. In 2010, CiCi's was named to Inc. magazine's top 5,000 list and to Parents' list of top family-friendly restaurants. Nation's Restaurant News ranked CiCi's No. 1 in sales and unit growth among pizza chains for the past four years.

For more information about CiCi's, visit www.cicispizza.com or www.facebook.com/cicis.

For information on franchising, visit http://franchise.cicispizza.com or call 972-745-9316.

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