Concept
Originator Drew French Plans Smart Growth for 18-Unit Customized
Pizza
Franchise Brand, Targets Multi-Unit Operators Looking to Get a Piece of the Pie
ATHENS, Ga. – When Drew French was a kid, he wasn't fond of sharing his pizza. And who could blame him, really? Anchovies and black
olives aren't for everyone.
Like every
other pizza lover, French simply wanted to enjoy his own pie, his own way. This
fast-casual innovator today believes that you should have your pie your way. Therein
lies the origin of Your Pie – a personal, build-it-yourself, quick-service pizza
restaurant concept.
French never
set out to create one of the most entrepreneurial innovations in the history of
the pizza industry. But that’s exactly what he did. His long-established love
of cooking naturally drew him to the restaurant industry, and he worked his way
through college in the kitchens of some of the best-known franchise brands.
That his
vision for Your Pie was prompted by a visit to Italy only adds to the flavor of
his rich story. While on his honeymoon visiting his wife’s family in Ischia off
the coast of Naples, French couldn't escape the delicious brick oven pizza made
on every corner and in the backyards of his new family and friends.
“Everywhere
we went in Ischia, the pizza was amazing,” French said. “It was the kind of
pizza you just couldn't put out of your mind. It was the pizza that influenced
the creation of the Your Pie menu, and allowed us to tap into some of our family’s
favorite recipes.”
But what
truly amazed him was how quickly the brick ovens could produce an artisan,
customized pie. It was while French basked in the aroma of Ischia’s brick ovens
that he sketched out the concept for a build-it-yourself pizza concept on a
napkin. He had no idea that his rendering would revolutionize the way that a
generation looks at quick-serve pizza and fast-casual dining.
It was
French’s vision that quality, selection of toppings and speed could come
together, and that the brick oven was the missing piece to the puzzle. French
knew that a flavorful pizza made from brick ovens and delivered quickly would
win customers’ hearts and create a new dining experience.
“Nobody was
thinking brick oven for fast-casual,” French said. “That’s what makes Your Pie unique,
and so consistently good.”
Less than
six years from the launch of his first Your Pie, French’s concept has taken the
industry by storm and elevated the art of pizza making. His ingenuity and
innovation have sparked a number of copycats to attempt a knock-off of Your
Pie. Some run their pizza through toasters or across conveyors, which doesn’t
come close to delivering the taste of Your Pie. Despite the “growth” in this
segment, the Your Pie quality never has been duplicated. Commitments to quality
product and a proven process are the Your Pie brand’s key differentiators.
“Pizza makers
talk about using the ‘best-quality’ ingredients,” French said. “But you've eaten those pizzas, and you know their quality standards. Our thinking is that
quality is our only standard. At Your Pie, we want everyone to have exactly the
pizza they’d like to eat, and we want each pie to provide a great experience.”
In 2008, at
24, French brought the concept and its business plan to a local bank. The bank
said no. But his father said yes. Shortly thereafter, French opened his first store
in Athens, Ga., and had opened two others nearby in the University of Georgia’s
hometown within two years. With its concept proved and refined, Your Pie today
has 18 restaurants located throughout the southeastern United States. The
company plans to add eight franchise restaurants in 2013. Opting for smart
growth to preserve the quality of the brand, French’s goal is to identify
multi-unit operators to join the franchise system and scale from the regional
base already in place.
With a
franchise fee of $25,000 and total investment averaging $350,000, a Your Pie
franchise includes pre-opening development assistance for site selection and
analysis, lease negotiation, architectural layout and restaurant design, comprehensive
restaurant build out, four weeks of training, and full marketing and
communications support.
“Without
question, we aspire to be a globally admired brand,” French said. “But we’ve
seen plenty of ways not to grow a pizza franchise, and we’re committed to best
practices. We will become a national brand in the next two to five years, and
believe we have the wherewithal to become an international brand in the next 10
years.”
The path to
that growth runs through French’s kitchen, where in addition to creating new
combinations of pizzas, fresh-grilled Panini sandwiches, salads and
Italian-inspired gelato for dessert, the emphasis is on constant improvement
and raising the bar on quality fast-casual dining.
“We’re not
trying to copy anyone,” French said. “There’s an art to making pizza, and we’re
committed to the artisan approach and customization. I believe that Your Pie
will maintain a competitive advantage over everyone making pizza – whether in
the quick-serve or traditional space – by doing what we do best. We just do
pizza better than anyone else.”
ABOUT YOUR PIE
Your Pie is
the world’s originator of the quick-serve, brick-oven, customized personal
pizza concept. Your Pie owner and originator Drew French tapped his restaurant
background and knowledge of the conveyor-driven quick-serve and married it with
brick oven technology to create the highest quality pizza available at
incredible speed. Drawing from family recipes from the island of Ischia, Your
Pie uses only fresh ingredients, homemade pizza sauces and salad dressings, and
offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free pizzas, as well as traditional pizzas.
Customers who dine at Your Pie have come to expect a custom-made and delicious pizza
delivered to their table well within 10 minutes of ordering – the definition of
fast casual. As a result, the Your Pie brand is synonymous with success and a
fan favorite of families in the communities it serves. For more information
about Your Pie or franchising opportunities, please visit www.yourpie.com.
Your Pie was recently featured in an article in the Northside Neighbor. Your Pie,
an Athens-based pizza restaurant company with 11 other locations in
Georgia and others in Southeastern states, will open its Buckhead
location in early May. The originator of the down-the-line pizza
category will be located in what was previously a Johnny Rockets and a
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, at 5 W. Paces Ferry Road. “The Buckhead
mentality is the perfect match for the spirit of Your Pie,”
said Drew French, founder. The Buckhead location is the first of three
new Atlanta restaurants that will open before the end of summer and will
feature the company’s new prototype. The company plans to continue
growing in metro Atlanta, with plans to open up to 40 additional
restaurants in the area over the next three to five years.
