May 30, 2006 8:48 AM, from staff and wire reports

Pilgrim’s Pride, the Pittsburg TX-based poultry company, has been honored for outstanding customer service and quality by Zaxby’s Franchising Inc for the second year in a row.

Zaxby’s, a licensor of 337 restaurants in nine states, recognized Pilgrim’s Pride earlier this month with its 2005 Poultry Supplier of the Year award. Criteria for the award were the company’s performance on internal quality assurance evaluations and its consistency in meeting product specifications.

Based in Athens GA, Zaxby’s is a fast-casual dining chicken restaurant with 337 stores in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.