Fast Casual, Customized Pizza Franchise Enters California, Plans to Open First Location on July 15th
Dine in or carry out? When it comes to fast-casual restaurants, options in California are infinite. But, a new brand is breaking into the market as the differentiator with a unique concept, authentic ingredients and quality customer service. Your Pie, the originator of the quick-serve, brick-oven, customized pizza category, will bring the Coachella Valley a whole new type of hand tossed personalized pizza, ready to rollout to the masses.
Your Pie will host a grand opening on July 15th at 42250-B Jackson St. Suite 105, Indio, CA, offering free food for the first 50 in line as well as $3.14 pizzas, paninis and salads all day long. And, one lucky guest will win free pies for life.
Local franchisees Scott and Andrea Burr will be operating the new restaurant, and have plans to open at least four more locations throughout the Valley over the next five years.
The Burr’s entrepreneurial spirit stems from Scott’s days as a golf professional. While owning and running their own pro-shop, the couple came to see franchising as a great transition into new business ownership. After researching and narrowing down their options, they found Your Pie to be the perfect fit for the Coachella Valley, and a distinct brand that would be able to stand out from the vast number of restaurants in the area.
“There are so many successful fast-casual franchise concepts here in the Valley,” said Burr. “The fast-casual pizza segment is hot right now, but it’s one model that hasn’t broken into our market yet. I’m excited to tap into the territory and fill a void that locals have been missing.”
Drew French, who founded Your Pie in 2008, didn’t know great pizza until he experienced the brick oven style baking on the island of Ischia while on his honeymoon. Instead of a simple Italian souvenir, French was inspired to bring back the entire rustic and delicious method to the United States. Drew put his love of gourmet food and his business degree from the University of Georgia to work, opening up his first Your Pie location in Athens, Ga. in 2008. French has had his sights set on California for some time, but he wanted to find the perfect franchisee to spearhead growth in the market.
“When you think of California, the first thing that comes to mind is the sheer size of the state and the effort it takes to make an impact in the market,” said French. “There is plenty of room for growth for our down-the-line concept to become the next big thing in California. The Coachella Valley is going to go crazy for the level of authentic Italian quality and customization that Your Pie offers.”
The opening of Your Pie’s North Indio location is part of the brand’s aggressive growth plans across the state of California. Your Pie has more than 30 locations in nine states throughout the county, with 49 more in development currently. With new locations opening from North Carolina to Arizona this year, the brand is continuing to enter new markets with even more franchised opportunities available across the country.
“Our hand-tossed dough, brick-oven baking technique, dedication to working with other local businesses and grass-roots community partnerships all help make Your Pie unique in the fast casual space,” French added. “We’re excited to share our customized Pies with the North Indio market, make our mark on the fast-casual pizza concept there, and begin our expansion across the Coachella Valley and throughout California.”
Your Pie is the world’s originator of the quick-serve, brick-oven, customized personal pizza category. A culinary entrepreneur since his teenage years, Your Pie founder Drew French combined his passion for innovative restaurant concepts 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 hand-tossed dough, 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 the best tasting pizza served with speed without sacrificing flavor. Your Pie is a state of mind and the brand stands by its motto to “express your inner pizza”, investing in local communities and encouraging diners to let their culinary creativity run wild. For more information about Your Pie or franchising opportunities, please visit www.yourpie.com.
