We were delighted to welcome one of our largest crowds of 2025 to hear from Scott Hunt, CEO of Hunt Brothers Pizza, at this morning’s breakfast meeting! In lieu of a traditional presentation, Hunt sat down with CBL Board Member Deb Varallo in a “fireside chat” setting, and subsequently fielded several questions from our members in the audience.

Hunt acknowledged that Hunt Brothers Pizza’s four key principles serve as the guiding light in its operations:

• Place God first in all we do.
• Be a blessing to people.
• Trust God to meet our needs.
• Strive for excellence.

He shared that Hunt Brothers is direct with its staff in being a Christian organization, and he leads with the faith that has been the core of both his upbringing and his adult life.

Upon his transition into the family business, Hunt’s meetings with friends and fellow business leaders revealed a necessary strategy: the concept of doing more than just making good pizza. Those meetings prompted Hunt Brothers to shift its focus more toward building the brand, so that the customers — both the businesses and consumers purchasing their pizzas — care about the brand that they’re buying, more than just the product itself.

Hunt also touched on the company’s involvement with NASCAR, which has been increasingly visible thanks to the success of three-time champion Joey Logano. “We do marketing totally different than anybody else,” Hunt said. Other brands try to convince consumers to buy their product, whereas Hunt Brothers Pizza advertises to show store owners firstly the value of the brand and secondly why they should stock the product. Hunt Brothers finds that approach to be successful while spending a fraction of other quick-service pizza brands on advertising.

The consumer-driven value proposition also comes into play with Hunt Brothers’ “all toppings, no extra charge” model. Offering additional toppings free of charge might reduce profits for stores, but Hunt Brothers has proven that such a methodology attracts consumers and leads them to identify with the brand on a recurring basis.

Hunt also offered plenty of smiles and playful grins when discussing the realities of navigating a family business. The best part of such an opportunity is watching everyone succeed, he said. Whereas a corporate pyramid features one person at the top and the rest of the company underneath, his view of the model at Hunt Brothers is the reverse: He sees the company at the top, and his role is to maintain its success.

A family business is not without challenges, however, and Hunt said his biggest challenge is simply turning off his CEO responsibilities, which never quiet down. “It’s a sense of honor,” he noted, but it’s a never-ending task to work hard enough to feel like he’s preparing the family and the rest of the company for success.

Thank you, Scott, for all of your insights during the discussion, and we’ll see you all for our next meeting on July 10!