MOD Pizza announced today they will be opening their first store outside of Washington State. MOD’s newest store, their ninth location, will be located in the highly successful Cedar Hills Crossing shopping center in Beaverton, Oregon.
Co-Founder and CEO Scott Svenson explains, “We have been preparing the MOD concept for expansion for the past several years, and moving into the Portland market is the first step in what we expect will be an exciting phase of rapid growth for the brand. In addition to significantly increasing our presence in the Pacific Northwest, by the end of 2013 MOD will be operating in its third market in California.”
Cedar Hills Crossing, located approximately eight miles west of Portland, is the hub of the retail shopping district in the thriving community of Beaverton. MOD’s 2,850 square foot site, located on a prominent corner at the entrance to the newest phase of the shopping center, is currently under construction and will open during the third quarter of this year. Plans are in place to expand throughout Portland, bringing to residents of the city the highly acclaimed MOD experience of high quality thin crust, artisan-style pizza, delivered “super-fast” by its passionate and high-energy MOD Squad, all at one incredible flat price.
Scott Svenson went on to say, “Since founding MOD in 2007, we have been planning to expand the concept nationally — this is the first step in achieving that goal. To date, all of our stores have been company owned and we plan on continuing to invest substantially in the business as we grow into Oregon and California. We feel this is the right way to build the foundations for long-term success. As we expand beyond the West Coast, we hope to find a select number of experienced multi-unit operators who share our values and passion for MOD, and who have the track-record and infrastructure to partner with us to take MOD into their home markets.”
The MOD Pizza concept was developed in 2007 by northwest natives and husband and wife team Ally and Scott Svenson, who built Seattle Coffee Company in the UK before selling it to Starbucks in 1998. A highly experienced group of advisors, who share the founders’ vision for the brand, include: Jim Alling (previously President, Starbucks NA and International and now COO, T-Mobile), Paul Twohig (President, Dunkin’ Donuts), Adam Brotman (Chief Digital Officer, Starbucks), Lindsey Schwartz (President and CEO, Schwartz Brothers Restaurants), Gerry Adams (Head of Hospitality, Clothier & Head) and Nader Naini (General Partner, Frazier Healthcare). Chris Schultz, a 12-year veteran of Starbucks, is MOD’s VP of Operations.
With its first store opened in Seattle in 2008, MOD Pizza was the pioneer in the fast casual pizza market, serving up individualized artisan-style, thin crust pizzas ‘super-fast’. MOD pizzas are Made-On-Demand (MOD), using their signature hand-made dough and red sauce, both of which are made fresh daily. Customers can select from a menu of 10 pre-designed pizzas or create their own, choosing from more than 28 featured toppings. All pizzas are the same price ($6.88) regardless of the number of toppings and are hand-crafted and cooked on the spot in an 800 degree display oven within 3 minutes. MOD also offers a selection of salads along with draft and bottled beer and soda, wine, pizza knots, and milkshakes. For more information: http://www.modpizza.com
