Review - Jesters Pie Company

What is a Pie?
To make sure we are all on the same page here I have been reminded to explain the definition of a "pie" to those readers who are unfamiliar with the concept.

Being in New Zealand we have grown up with pies, but we have heard that a savoury pie is a new concept to many overseas countries. In New Zealand we tend to eat pies as a savoury dish, not as a dessert. Pies are an extremely popular food concept here and are sold everywhere from bakeries to corner dairies. Usually containing meat such as mince or chicken. We believe meat pies are common in New Zealand and Australia especially due to the strong agriculture and farming industries of sheep and beef farming. It seems a natural fit that with such easy access to meat innovative ways were created to serve it.

I have been a fan of Jesters Pies for almost 2 years now. They are a fast food chain that operate in Australasia.

History
Jesters was created in 1997 in Australia and is now spread throughout Australia and New Zealand. The company in its present form is the result of the merger of Shakespeares Pies and Jesters Jaffle Pie company. The merger took place in 2005 and all stores were rebranded as Jesters.

Business model
Jesters operates under the popular franchise model that many food outlets follow. Jesters do not have stand alone company stores, rather they have outlets in major shopping centres. This obviously eliminates the need for expensive store layouts, which makes for a more cost-effective franchise. The style of the outlet is in a basic cafe-style with a large heated display unit taking u the front and serving areas on each side. Jesters kitchen can operate in a very small space with 1-2 operators making the pies. Generally they do 2-3 bakes per day. the stores generally can run with a minimum 2-3 staff part-time.

Food
The quality of Jesters pies is excellent. All pies are made fresh in house several times daily. The pastry is a great selling point - it is so unique. It is crispy on the outside without being messy, and soft on the inside. I must mention that Jesters pies are a little on the small side for the price. You would generally need 2 pies to fill you up. Jesters do offer combos with wedges and drinks. The fillings are made of high quality ingredients. You can really tasts the differnce over say, a bakery pie. Being a franchise the pies are always uniform which is a good thing when pie quality and taste can vary so must from bakery to bakery.

An great thing about Jesters is the range of gourmet flavours available. From Mahurajah (Butter Chicken) to Popeye (Vegetarian Feta, Spinach and Mushroom). Jesters also provide dessert pies such as apple crumble pie and other interesting combinations. You can also purchased pre-frozen packs to enjoy at home.

Price
Jesters are quite pricey when compared to other Pie outlets. A Typical Jesters pie in NZ costs $3.50 - $3.90. Pies in NZ range from $1.00 to $1.50 at dairies, $2.00 - $3.00 at most bakeries and from a service station $3.00-4.00. So they are at the top end of pie retailers in NZ. Obviously though they are a gourmet outlet so must charge a higher price, but I believe the price is okay for a chain store. Would be great if the pies were 30-50% bigger.

Locations
Jesters operates over 70 stores with 18 in New Zealand. They tend to be located in busy shopping centres with high foot traffic. Recently in New Zealand they have tested the Service Station food court model successfully used in New Zealand by Subway. Essentially this concept involves putting the storefront inside a corner of the service station building. Subway seems to have dozens and dozens of these stores throughout NZ so it must be a winning combination.

Competitors
While pies are a big thing in New Zealand, there are not many chains offering alternative options. Georgie Pie was the original popular Pie restaurant chain in NZ in the 1990's and operated in the same way McDonalds Restaurants do, with lots of menu selection, kids toys and kids playground. Unfortunately McDonalds bought out Georgie Pie and there has never been another strong chain offering pies.

In competiton with Jesters though there seems to be no franchises operating. Several years ago there was a new franchise in New Zealand called King Pie. Last I heard the franchise shut down due to lack of sales. Jesters seems very similar in concept to King Pie with similar locations and store layout. We can only hope that their business model renders them more successful. It would be a shame to lose another great tasting pie outlet.

Summary
In Summary I would definitely recommend trying Jesters Pies out if you are located in New Zealand, or Australia. They are a welcome addition to the fast food marketplace and I hope they grow to be present in more centres. Would be great to see them take the Unique "Pie" concept to other countries especially Asia, and even England and Europe.

Auckland, New Zealand