Less than two months after officially launching its franchise opportunity, Firenza, the latest contender emerging in the race to dominate the booming fast-casual pizza segment, signed its first franchise agreement, a multiunit deal for the development of 25 restaurants throughout the Southeast.
The stores will be developed over the next 10 years—specifically in the Richmond, Virginia metro area and Eastern North Carolina—with the first one scheduled to open within the next 12 months.
“We look forward to expanding Firenza’s presence in the Southeast,” says Garry Fitchett, who signed the development agreement with his brother. “Firenza simply offers today’s demanding customers what they crave—originality, speed of service, customization and premium products—in a sophisticated and highly welcoming environment.”
Garry and his brother possess over 50 years of combined experience in retail and franchising, most notably on the management and development side with such brand giants as Domino’s and Quizno’s. From 2001 until 2010, they developed 70 Quizno’s restaurants in the same region they plan on growing the Firenza brand.
“Having Garry and his brother come on board is quite monumental for us," says Firenza cofounder and president Dave Baer. "Their extensive experience and deep understanding of the region make them the ideal partners to help execute our rapid growth. This master development agreement is without a doubt a significant step forward for our company."
Touting “Pizza Like Never Before,” Firenza offers fresh-baked pizzas with unlimited toppings per customer’s choice, for one low price.
Customers can pick and choose from nearly 40 toppings—six signature sauces, seven cheeses, nine meats, and 17 veggies—and watch their customized pies assembled right in front of them. For those customers who don’t want to create their pizzas from scratch, Firenza also offers eight, chef-inspired signature pizzas. Once the 10-inch pizzas are assembled, they’re baked in an open flame stone-hearth oven and guaranteed to be done within five minutes.
The pizza dough is made in-house daily and hand-stretched to order right in front of the customers. Once the pizza dough is stretched, customers can customize their pizzas with unlimited toppings for one low price.
