Mountain Mike’s Pizza, LLC, a leading family-style pizza chain for more than 40 years, known for its legendary crispy, curly pepperoni, Mountain-sized pizzas, toppings to the edge, and dough made fresh daily, proudly announces that 2021 was by far the best sales year ever for the fast-growing franchise. The brand ended 2021 by surging past $250 million in total system sales, after only passing $200 million in 2020, bolstered during the year by strong same store sales (SSS) growth of 15% and total sales growth of 24% over 2020. Mountain Mike’s unprecedented sales growth is a testament to the consummate dedication of its many franchise partners and the throngs of loyal guests who continue their love for Pizza the Way it Oughta Be!.
“As we approach the opening of our 250th store early this year, Mountain Mike’s continues to achieve significant milestones in performance, including surpassing $1 million in systemwide AUV for the first time in 2021 with a top quartile sales performance of $1.6 million,” says Chris Britt, Co-CEO/Owner of Mountain Mike’s Pizza. “In addition, our system sales across our digital platforms (mobile web, mobile app and third party) have tripled over the past two years and now account for over $100 million and 40% of our system sales. Our brand’s franchise opportunity for both existing and new franchise partners has never been more exciting as we accelerate the introduction of Mountain Mike’s Pizza to more territories throughout the Western U.S. We are finding scores of valued and enthusiastic guests in every new market who serve as brand evangelists as we author an incredible growth story more than four decades in the making.”
In 2021, Mountain Mike’s laid the foundation for the most significant franchise development expansion in its history. During the year, the company opened 18 new restaurants and signed new franchise agreements for 60+ new restaurants – which are all in various stages of development. Importantly, in 2021, Mountain Mike’s expanded its franchise footprint in California, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah with several very successful new locations. And equally as exciting, in 2022, the brand expects to open 30 new locations, including its debut franchise locations in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado and Texas. By the end of 2022, Mountain Mike’s will have franchise locations open in eight states with several more on the horizon.
“We are excited for what’s ahead as we continue to grow our slice of the nearly $46 billion U.S. pizza marketplace,” adds Ed St. Geme, co-CEO/owner of Mountain Mike’s Pizza. “Since Chris and I acquired Mountain Mike’s nearly five years ago, our goal has been to make our brand the most attractive franchise opportunity in pizza, and our results speak for themselves. We are realizing this goal as we continue to lead in performance, open more restaurants and work with the best of the best in franchise partners.”
Other key achievements for Mountain Mike’s in 2021 included the introduction of the Mountain Rewards mobile app and loyalty program, which was designed to reward loyal guests and build more meaningful connections with fans with personalized offers suited to their individual needs.Membership quickly grew after its mid-year introduction and the company expects to have as many as 250,000 loyalty members by year end. The brand also renewed its successful partnership with the San Francisco 49ers, proudly celebrated the team’s 75Th anniversary and remains the “Official Pizza” of the iconic NFL franchise. Soon, Mountain Mike’s is expected to announce a similar partnership in Major League Baseball.
Of course, delicious food and menu innovations continued to play starring roles for the brand throughout 2021, including the most successful LTO in Mountain Mike’s history – the popular Heart-Shaped Pizza, which returned to the Mountain Mike’s menu throughout February after a wildly successful run in 2020. A few months later, the brand expanded its dessert menu with the introduction of Mini Churrs™ as a summertime LTO. The delicious bite-size cinnamon treats were such a hit, they were permanently added to Mountain Mike’s dessert menu and helped drive dessert category sales up 117%.
“Remarkable sales, AUV gains, geographic expansion and guest acclaim continued to heighten our position as a leading family-and community-centric pizza concept,” says Jim Metevier, Mountain Mike’s President and COO. “The industry, our valued guests and existing and prospective franchise partners are taking notice. Coveted accolades, achievements and industry buzz are proof positive that there has never been a more exciting time to join the Mountain Mike’s Pizza franchise family.”
