Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, the rapidly expanding New York pizza concept known for creative, artisanal pizza that has attracted legions of fans from celebrities to native New Yorkers alike, has signed a five-unit franchise deal with local developer and passionate customers, Premal and Leela Shanghvi, to bring Artichoke Basille’s Pizza to New Jersey. The New Jersey stores will be located in Hoboken, Jersey City, New Brunswick, Princeton and Newark.
Unlike “conveyor belt” fast-casual pizza concepts, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza specializes in offering bold, unique flavors and toppings on massive slices and whole pies, including their namesake Artichoke Pie with cream sauce, artichoke hearts, spinach, mozzarella, and pecorino romano, and originals like their Crab Pie, made with crab sauce, fresh mozzarella, and panko-breaded Surimi crab meat. In addition to offering more traditionally topped pizzas, the menu also boasts a variety of non-pizza Italian dishes, such as their meatball roll, calzone, and salads.
Founded by cousins and best friends Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza has been named “Best Pizza” in the New York Post’s list of the ‘11 Best Late Night Food Spots in NYC’ and ‘Top 5 Slices in the 5 Boroughs’ by CBS New York, while also earning a reputation for its authentic New York pizza, 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, The Chew with Mario Batali and the founders’ own shows, the Cooking Channel’s Pizza Cuz and Pizza Masters, all of which have helped poise the brand for continued national expansion.
“We’ve always been huge fans of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza,” says New Jersey franchisee Premal Shanghvi. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to bring their creative take on New York pizza to New Jersey, and anticipate that our neighbors will enjoy their pizza as much as we do.”
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza is partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and The Halal Guys, as their exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand. They are currently looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop franchise territories in major markets across the country.
