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Business

Craig Moore


Cici’s Pizza CEO talks about bad jobs, book coasters, and how to make money.

By D Magazine |
photography by Dan Sellers

Craig Moore began his career with Cici’s Pizza nearly 15 years ago as a general manager of one of the chain’s restaurants. He was promoted to district manager, then regional manager, and served as vice president of operations for five years before being named president in 2003, following a management buyout. Today, Moore’s goal is to grow the chain from more than 600 current locations to 1,000 by 2010, expanding into new markets nationwide. The Dallas-based company has been the no. 1 pizza chain in the country for sales and unit growth for the past three years according to Nation’s Restaurant News, and StartupJournal.com ranked CiCi’s as one of the top 25 highest-performing brands in the nation.

Age: 49
Title/Company: President/CiCi’s Enterprises L.P. (CiCi’s Pizza)
Tenure: 14 years, four years as president
What was your first job?
I worked at a very small airport at 15 and was paid with flight lessons. It was one hour of lessons for an entire day’s work. I never made any money but I soloed that summer.
What was your worst job?
My dad was in the oil business in Louisiana, and he always had a bad option for me each summer. Oil rigs, supply boats, surveying crew—you name it, it was usually a bad job. The thing it did do was to motivate me about school.
If you couldn’t say the people I work with, what would you say is the best part of your job?
No question for me, it is the feedback we get from guests when our performance matches what we have been working toward as a company. When you are selling a complete meal for under $5 and guests respond with, “I have never been treated so well at a restaurant,” those are great days.
What’s the worst part?
As a franchisor, I want everyone to succeed. It is tough when we have people invest their life’s savings and fail. Although there is usually a reason out of our control, it is still tough to see it happen.
On weekends, where would people find you?
At the local hockey rink or volleyball tournament watching my children play.
What book is currently on your nightstand?
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, but to date it has only been used as a coaster.
What’s your favorite TV show?
The Office.
What three Web sites do you visit most frequently?
AA.com (American Airlines) and Orbitz.com, because I still like to book all of my own travel and I am on the road a great deal. My third site is definitely the CiCi’s portal; I monitor our own site and think we do a very good job with it.
What’s your most recent major purchase?
Four new garage doors.
What’s your biggest regret?
That I didn’t have kids at a younger age.
What do you consider to be your biggest weakness?
Networking—I tend to stay to myself and not actively seek making new friends.
What’s the best advice anyone ever told you?
Don’t try and chase money. If making money is most important to you, follow your passion and making money will happen.

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