Blackjack Pizza

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Blackjack Pizza Franchising
Key people
Vince Schmuhl, Founder & President
ProductsPizza
Number of employees
800 (estimated)
Websitewww.blackjackpizza.com

Blackjack Pizza is a

Rocky Mountain region[1] and he thought customers would appreciate an alternative. The pizza chain is the largest in Colorado with 800 employees, some of whom work part-time.[2]
On January 1, 2013, Blackjack Pizza was acquired by Askar Brands.

History

While a

Domino's Pizza.[3] After receiving a business degree in 1981, there were few jobs available, and Schmuhl wanted to provide another option to the major pizza companies.[3] In exchange for equity, his parents, Jim and Wilma Schmuhl, gave him $10,000 to start Blackjack Pizza.[3] Schmuhl named the pizza restaurant after the blackjack game to indicate it was fast food.[3] Both blackjack and dominoes are games, so he wanted to indicate that Blackjack Pizza was an alternative to Domino's Pizza.[3] The company's slogan was "Finally, there's a new game in town."[3] The first Blackjack Pizza store opened on June 29, 1983, in Federal Heights with a second store opening in Greeley by February 1984.[1] By 1986, Blackjack had grown to six corporate stores and one franchisee.[4] The company headquarters, by 1999, was in what was then the Castlewood census-designated place in unincorporated Arapahoe County, Colorado, near Englewood.[5][6] The territory became a part of Centennial,[7] which incorporated in 2001 with all of the territory of the Castlewood CDP.[8]

In 1988, Blackjack became a franchisor with the sale of several corporate stores to franchisees. As of 2018 Blackjack Pizza operated 45 stores in five states.[9] Blackjack's tagline is "Better Pizza, Better Price."[10]

high school seniors who committed the 1999 Columbine High School massacre worked at the Blackjack Pizza store in Littleton, Colorado, and Harris eventually became shift manager.[11] At this pizza parlor, the two teens made important acquaintances who were inadvertently connected to the attack at Columbine High School.[12] The two teens were able to meet Mark Manes, the man who sold them the TEC-9 that they used in the attack, through the connection of Philip Duran, a fellow employee at the Blackjack Pizza store where they worked.[13][14][15]

Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith frequently appeared in Blackjack commercials until October 2008 when Blackjack rolled out a new ad campaign featuring the cast of Impulse Theater.[16] Smith's slogan for Blackjack Pizza ads was "Stick with the home team."[17][18]

Philanthropy

Blackjack Pizza has donated money to several organizations. In 2005, Blackjack donated $8,842.40 to the Bonfils Blood Center Foundation, which Blackjack Pizza selected to be the winner of the "80 Cent Pizza Promotion".

Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colorado.[21]

Acquisitions

On January 1, 2013, Blackjack Pizza was acquired by Askar Brands, a Michigan-based company.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Blackjack Pizza Franchise Information". The Franchise Mall. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  2. ^ Bronikoski, Lynn (1996-01-28). "Black Jack Pizza Gears up for Game". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bronikoski, Lynn (1996-01-28). "Blackjack Pizza Gears up for Game". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  4. ^ "Company History". Blackjack Pizza Franchising. Archived from the original on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  5. ^ Home. Blackjack Pizza. October 12, 1999. Retrieved on October 18, 2018. "9137 E Mineral Cr - Suite 100 Englewood CO 80112"
  6. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 18, 2018. In the 1990 Census Map (index map) on pages 40 and 59
    .
  7. ^ "Centennial, Colorado Wards." City of Centennial. February 3, 2001. Retrieved on October 18, 2018.
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, 2012. p. V-20
    (SL22-PA20). "CENTENNIAL CITY, CO (2010 population rank 281). Incorporated in 2001, including all of Castlewood and Southglenn CDPs."
  9. ^ a b Scott, Julie (2006-01-30). "Blackjack Pizza Customers Raise Dough for Bonfils Blood Center". Bonfils Blood Center. Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  10. ^ "Blackjack Pizza Franchising Inc". Gaebler Ventures. Archived from the original on 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  11. ^ Bartels, Lynn; Crowder, Carla (1999). "Fatal Friendship". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-10-25. Eric and Dylan started at Blackjack in the spring of their sophomore year, cooking pizzas for $5.15 an hour.
  12. ^ Lowe, Peggy (2000-11-22). "Pizza Jobs Gave Connections Killers Made Contacts Who Helped Them with Guns, Explosives They Used in School Attack". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  13. ^ Abbott, Karen (2001-01-24). "Columbine defendants deny responsibility". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  14. ^ "Colleague of Columbine shooters arrested". CNN. 1999-06-18. Archived from the original on 2005-03-08. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  15. ^ Pitzel, Heather (2004-04-19). "Manes: 'I made a bad mistake'". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2008-10-25. Duran, meanwhile, was working with Klebold and Harris at a Blackjack Pizza shop. He introduced them to Manes at a gun show in Denver because they wanted to buy his TEC-DC9.
  16. ^ Cotton, Anthony (2007-09-30). "The game of commercial appeal". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2008-10-25. For most of his 13 years in town, Smith said he wasn't very interested in doing commercials, feeling they might be a distraction from his main task - playing football. He recently relented, though, doing some spots for Blackjack Pizza.
  17. ^ Thorburn, Ryan (2006-08-15). "Tatum still trails Mike Bell at RB". Daily Camera. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  18. ISBN 978-0-7624-3355-1
    .
  19. ^ "On the Move: Noteworthy". Rocky Mountain News. 2006-03-28. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-25. Blackjack Pizza presented Bonfils Blood Center Foundation with a check for $8,842.40. Blackjack Pizza franchisees selected Bonfils as the beneficiary of the locally based 80 Cent Pizza Promotion in 2005.
  20. ^ Chaney, Jesse (2008-10-01). "FFA project helps local seniors". Fort Morgan Times. Archived from the original on 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  21. ^ "Colorado business". The Denver Post. 2006-11-01. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  22. ^ "Askar Brands: Blackjack Pizza". Askar Brands. 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2014-11-11.

Columbine Massacre perpetrators used to work here.

External links

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