Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, the nation’s largest and fastest growing New York pizza concept, has signed a multi-unit franchise deal to bring its larger than life slices and whole pies to the greater Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut areas. Franchisee Matthew Rusconi is looking to open the first location by year’s endand is actively scouting real estate opportunities in Hartford County, New Haven, Middletown, and Cromwell.
“I chose to bring Artichoke Pizza to Connecticut in an effort to marry a few of my passions. I’m a local CT guy who loves great food, working with great people, and sharing success with the communities in which we’re fortunate enough to operate in,” says Operating Franchisee, Matthew Rusconi. “Partnering with Fran, Sal, and the Artichoke team to open Artichoke Basille’s Pizza restaurants in CT is a dream come true and I’m greatly looking forward to sharing Artichoke’s world-famous pizza with the people of CT very soon. “
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, founded in 2008 by cousins and best friends Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, specializes in serving authentic New York slices in a fast casual setting, but without the conveyor belt oven. The concept’s massive slices and whole pies, which have been named the ‘Best Pizza’ by The NY Post and one of the ‘Top 5 Slices in the Boroughs’ by CBS New York, range from the traditionally-topped to the more eccentric. Their unique signature pies include the namesake Artichoke Pizza, with cream sauce, artichoke hearts, spinach, mozzarella, and pecorino romano, and the Crab Pie, with crab sauce, fresh mozzarella, and panko-breaded Surimi crab meat. Artichoke also has more traditional offerings, like the Margherita, Meatball, and Sicilian pies, as well as a selection of non-pizza dishes such as the meatball roll, calzone, salads, and more.
In addition to being known for their unique menu offerings, Artichoke has also earned a reputation for its never-ending lines and frequent celebrity sightings. Artichoke has received much notoriety to date, including features on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Rachael Ray Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Chew. Founders Garcia and Basille also had their own shows on The Cooking Channel – Pizza Cuz and Pizza Masters, which drew national attention for the brand and have helped poised Artichoke for continued national expansion.
The New York pizza concept currently operates 12 locations from coast-to-coast, in New York City, Miami, and Berkeley, CA. Artichoke has 5 stores in development in New Jersey, which are now joined by the upcoming Connecticut locations.
