MOD Pizza announced that it has executed franchise agreements with two new partners to develop 35 restaurants in Michigan and South Carolina. MOD partnered with TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants in Michigan and Rich Connolly in South Carolina. With this announcement, MOD has agreed to develop nearly 100 stores with some of the most established franchise operators in the U.S.
By the end of 2015, MOD expects to be operating approximately 100 stores across Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
“For MOD, the most critical factor is ensuring that our partners share our belief in the value of a strong and vibrant culture in our stores. We continue to have a simple goal in our franchise partnering strategy—to build deeper relationships with fewer partners,” says Scott Svenson, cofounder and CEO of MOD Pizza. “We are humbled that TEAM Schostak and Rich Connolly have joined the MOD family and share our desire to build something new and very special. We know they have the experience to help us spread the MOD culture in their markets and to build a stronger business.”
Livonia, Michigan–based TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants is a family-owned restaurant group with an expansive portfolio of casual and fast-casual dining restaurants throughout the state of Michigan. With a commitment to quality operations, TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants is an industry leader in attracting, developing, and retaining the most talented work force and sets an unmatched standard of excellence. For the past three decades, TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants has expanded its restaurant catalog to include 130 restaurants across four brands, including Applebee’s, Burger King, Olga’s Kitchen, and Del Taco.
Connolly has spent over 30 years in the restaurant industry. Starting with Burger King in 1979, Connolly grew the business to nearly 500 employees and 11 stores. After selling his Burger King restaurants, he became involved in real estate development before eventually entering the Panera system. He currently operates 16 Panera stores in South Carolina. He will open his first MOD location in Charleston in 2015.
