Dive Brief:
- Walmart is making room for another restaurant chain inside its stores. Nozzleman Pizza Co. announced Tuesday it opened inside its first Walmart location in Carson City, Nevada.
- The quick-service restaurant chain said it plans to open 17 locations inside the retailer across six states this year.
- The partnership builds on Walmart’s growing roster of in-store restaurants as the retailer looks to boost in-store revenue and expand its meal options for consumers.
Dive Insight:
As grocers and retailers look to compete with restaurants for shoppers’ dining dollars, Walmart has brought quick-service restaurants to its customers.
Along with the newly opened in-store restaurant in Carson City, Nozzleman Pizza plans to debut in several more Walmart stores in northern Nevada, including in the communities of Gardnerville, Fallon and Reno by late summer. The chain expects further expansion of the partnership to include Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and Utah, with nationwide expansion as the long-term goal.
The Nozzleman Pizza inside the Carson City Walmart is the only location currently listed on the pizza chain’s website.
Nozzleman Pizza’s menu includes 16-inch pies, pizza by the slice, garlic cheese bread, fries, chicken tenders, Caesar salad, grilled cheese sandwiches, soft-serve ice cream and drinks.
“With Walmart locations, our franchisees have the potential to tap into high-foot-traffic stores with a very loyal customer base helping to ensure financial stability,” Nozzleman Pizza co-founder Robert Powells said in the announcement.
Founded in Reno, Nozzleman Pizza gets its name from co-founder Jesse Corletto, a retired firefighter who wanted to honor first responders, the announcement noted. Each Nozzleman Pizza location donates a portion of its proceeds to local fire stations.
Walmart has partnered with several in-store quick-service restaurants, bringing hoagies, hot dogs and poke to several of its locations. Last summer, Walmart linked with Mr Gatti’s Pizza and announced plans to open 92 corporate-owned units inside stores across four states. Wetzel’s Pretzels has also opened units inside Walmart stores.
Walmart’s emphasis on food comes as it continues to gain market share in grocery. Walmart U.S.’s grocery segment saw mid-single-digit growth and remains a “standout category” for the retailer, Walmart CFO John David Rainey told investors last month.
