Stoner’s Pizza Joint, a millennial-focused, quick-service pizza franchise, announced today the opening of its newest corporate-owned location in Columbia, South Carolina. Located at 1216 Washington St., in the city’s historic Arcade Building, the new restaurant marks the brand’s first location in Columbia, fourth overall in the state. The new location will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, January 26 from 1-3 p.m., where they’ll be giving out free pizza slices and wings, as well as a gift card raffle and swag giveaways. Two grand prize winners will receive free pizza for a year and catering for The Big Game, valued at $250.
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In addition to making its entry into Columbia, the new Stoner’s Pizza Joint showcases the brand’s new 1,500-square-foot restaurant prototype, which will be the prototype utilized for all standalone restaurants moving forward. The new design features energy-efficient LED lights throughout, an Instagram selfie area and a focal wall tailored to the local community. The Columbia restaurant’s focal wall is University of South Carolina Gamecock-themed, paying homage to the local college campus.
“We’re so excited to kick off 2019 strong with the opening of a new location in our home state of South Carolina, as well as debuting our new flagship restaurant. Being a University of South Carolina alumni myself, bringing Stoner’s to Columbia feels as though things are coming full circle,” says Nick Bergelt, chief concept officer of Stoner’s Pizza Joint. “We look forward to becoming a part of the Columbia community and serving the residents and students here for years to come.”
Founded in 2013, Stoner’s Pizza Joint was purchased by HospitalityX, a holding company with a current brand roster that includes Charbar Co., Whiskey Room, ¡Holy Tequila! and Healthy Habit. Experienced restaurateurs and partners behind HospitalityX, Drew Ciccarelli and Nick Bergelt, developed and launched Stoner’s Pizza Joint’s franchising program in 2018 with the goal of growing the brand’s footprint to 100 locations by 2023.
Since the launch, Stoner’s has continued to identify the Southeast region as a key market for expansion with plans to open a new location in Valdosta, Georgia early next month, as well as another South Carolina location in March 2019. The brand also recently signed a franchise agreement in Florida to develop two new restaurants and will be opening its new convenience store prototype in Nacogdoches, Texas in the coming months.
Stoner’s Pizza Joint Columbia is open Sunday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.
