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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Aver's Pizza continues to rank in Top 100

Local sales, taste bring pie-makers 5th strong standing

One of Bloomington's favorite pizzerias, Aver's Pizza, has made Pizza Today magazine's "Hot 100 Independents" list for the fifth consecutive year. As number 61 on the list out of 64,000 pizza operations, it remains one of the strongest autonomous pizza establishments in the country. \nThe rankings in the magazine are based strictly on sales, said Jeremy White, editor in chief of Pizza Today. To qualify to receive this award by Pizza Today, pizzerias had to meet three qualifications. \n"The first is to be an 'independent,' which means that the store has nine or fewer stores," White said. "Next, pizza must account for at least 50 percent of the food sales, and they must be in the top 100 in gross sales in the nation." \nThe minimum amount in sales of $1.1 million was needed to make the list, and the average pizzeria in America normally grosses around $450,000 annually.\nWith Aver's average sales being more than $2 million annually, it is "one of the most successful businesses in the state, as well as in the pizza industry," said co-owner Brad Randall. \n"When we started this company in 1995, I had no idea how big it would get," Randall said. "It is an honor to be in this list because we are being recognized by our peers as one of the best."\nThe pizza company has also made the Kelley School of Business's "Growth 100" list three years in a row. The company is also looking forward to growing even more in the coming years, starting with the opening of its store in Columbus, Ind. last summer, adding to their two locations in Bloomington. \nWhat seems to make people continually come to Aver's is its commitment to what they started out to do -- to make "gourmet pizza to go." Favorites among students include the Crazy Eight deal, which offers a 12-inch pizza with one topping, a large order of breadsticks and two drinks for $8.88. \n"It's incredible. You can't get a better deal around town," sophomore Mike Gregory said about the Crazy Eight deal. "I like their pizza because it's greasy and probably bad for you, but it's just so good." \nAnother reason people continue to return to Aver's is because of their wide variety of new pizzas.\n"No one else has Alfredo sauce on their pizza," said sophomore Jennifer Gross. "It makes it so awesome." \nAlthough Aver's specializes in gourmet pizzas, senior Mitzi Templeton tends to like the traditional items.\n"I like their pepperoni pizza and I tend to like them more because they are cheaper than most places," she said. \nThe next few steps Aver's will take in the coming year will help to increase the company's ranking as it plans to begin selling chains.\n"We've had a number of past employees request that we sell rights to them," Randall said.\nEven with the changes to come, Randall said Aver's won't forget its loyal customers.\n"We try to appeal to customers that already like our product and then build upon that," Randall said. "We want people to try this pizza and say, 'this is the best pizza I've ever had.'" \n-- Contact Staff Writer Ryne \nShadday at rshadday@indiana.edu.

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