Georgie Pie

Georgie Pie was a fast food chain owned by supermarket operator Progressive Enterprises that hoped to be "New Zealand’s own homegrown alternative to the global fast-food industry giants such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Burger King."

The first restaurant was opened in Auckland in 1977, and expanded considerably in the 1990's. In 1994, plans were announced to open 25 new outlets per year, with the goal of having 114 restaurants operating by year's end, 1998. The chain came to prominence in the early 1990s with its $1, $2, $3, and $4 "Funtastic Value" menu where everything was one of those four prices, including the popular $1 "Small Pie." At its peak, the chain employed about 1,300 people, 80% of whom were under 20 years old; many of the employees were paid less than employees of rival fast food chain McDonald's. The franchise had hourly youth rates, starting from five dollars for 15 year olds, compared to the hourly rate of $8.41 (in 1996) at McDonald’s, regardless of age (as of 2006 McDonald's was also paying youth rates). The selling of pies allowed Georgie Pie to automate the food production process far more than other chains, which sold more labour-intensive items such as burgers, were able to .

The "Georgie Pie"

The pies at Georgie Pie were sold in small, unique boxes. The end and two side strips could be torn off along a perforated line. The two strips would then be used to push the pie upwards out of the box so it could be eaten without being directly touched with the hand.The large pies were a round shape, The small pies a distinctive square.The large pies ranged in a variety of flavours which also included a variety of vegetable and unusually flavoured pies.The pastry was distinctively solid and unflakey to avoid spills and mess.

Supermarket chains Foodtown and Countdown (both also operated by Progressive Enterprises) sold very similar square pies after Georgie Pie had mostly disappeared which looked and tasted almost identical and packaged in near-identical "unprinted" white, or yellow and brown boxes until late 2004. They were replaced with a generic standard round pie.

Decline

Progressive Enterprises soon sold the food chain to McDonald's in 1996, a move that became the beginning of the end for Georgie Pie. At the conclusion of the deal, 17 outlets were converted into McDonald's restaurants, and the other 15 were sold, some to other fast food franchises or restaurants, one into a Bunnings Warehouse and one into a bloodbank. The last known Georgie Pie restaurant was closed about 2001 (date not confirmed) which was a take-out only in the food hall in a small shopping mall called "Hunters Plaza". It was based geographically close to the factory in Wiri, Auckland which was close to the then main distribution warehouse for the supermarket chain. There is suspicion the pie making machines were used to manufacture the unique square pies in a box for the Foodtown/Countdown house brand "Foodtown" pies which tasted almost the same but were withdrawn in late 2004. Most of the prior restaurants have now been fully remodelled by McDonalds as they were initially just quick conversions which still bore the old Georgie Pie design. The last known Georgie Pie was located in Glenfield on Auckland's North Shore where they ceased operations on August 19th 2001. The pie machines are used in some of the stores to make their pies.

Resurgence in popularity

New Zealand Broadcasting School students Drew Chappell and Gareth Thorne started a facebook group calling for the return of Georgie Pie, which currently has over 13,000 members. On September 28, 2008 they temporarily converted a Christchurch bakery into the restaurant and sold pies made by with the same recipe as the originals. This temporary restaurant was extremely popular selling all their pies in less than an hour with people coming from as far as Auckland to get one. [http://www.stuff.co.nz/4710114a6530.html]

This was done for part of a documentary that the students are making titled "Bring Back The George". [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2111562]

"Bring Back Georgie Pie" badges are also available in New Zealand.

External links

* [http://ingeb.org/songs/georgiep.html "Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie"] - the English nursery rhyme upon which the name is probably based.
* [http://canterbury.cyberplace.org.nz/community/CAFCA/cafca96/sept96.htm Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa Website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6zTLkd0JV4 An early Georgie Pie advertisement on YouTube]