New Orleans, LA (October 4, 2010) — Naked Pizza awarded multi-unit franchising rights in two of the most important pizza markets in the United States – New York City and Phoenix, Arizona. The franchisor, with a mission to change the nutritional profile of fast food through an all-natural pizza and the leveraging of the $44 billion global carryout and delivery pizza industry as a Trojan horse, has more than 350 stores under contract. Naked Pizza launched its franchise company one year ago with backing from influential investors and international attention for its success with social media.
The company recently opened its first franchise locations in Miami and Louisville. Orlando, San Diego, Boston, Rochester, New Orleans, Denver, and Dubai are scheduled to open by the year’s end.
The New York City region group is headed by Mitchell Krupp and Richard Jacobson and includes several notable professional athletes and well-known New York figures. Additionally, an established star and Tri-state market expert from one of the leading pizza delivery franchises is coming on board as General Manager. In Phoenix, territories have been awarded to several developers with the first leases expected to be signed this week.
Naked Pizza’s high profile and occasionally controversial rise has invited its share of opinions about the concept as well as more than 5000 franchising inquiries from around the world. This year’s store openings are being closely watched by the industry (as evidenced by visits from former Papa John’s presidents Dan Holland at the Miami opening and Blaine Hurst at the Louisville opening) as the brand encompasses a modern approach to franchising it calls “Franchising 2.0.”
“Franchising 2.0 recognizes that a number of factors have convened to create an entirely different and compelling investment opportunity for entrepreneurs,” says Naked Pizza CEO and co-founder Randy Crochet. “The precise and disciplined use of technology for both operations and communications focuses the ROI expectations, real estate is cheap and available, and smart business people are eager for an opportunity to put their success and money to work and to make a difference. Our concept is built on a mission aligned with major trends around health, food, social media, transparency and corporate social responsibility. That’s not for everyone, but its perfect for the right investors and partners, and it provides rocket fuel for our growth.”
About NakedPizza:
Founded in 2006, NakedPizza is a carryout and delivery pizza franchisor, founded by Jeff Leach and Randy Crochet, with more than 300 stores under development. It has been recognized by the New York Times, Twitter, Entrepreneur Magazine, online technology bible Mashable, and numerous marketing blogs as one of the top practitioners of social media in the world. NakedPizza’s mission is to prove that an unhealthy and popular fast food staple can be made healthier and tasty while also making a business case for investment, profit and scale. NakedPizza offers only all-natural pizzas featuring a crust made with an Ancestral Blend of grains, prebiotic agave fiber and probiotics. The company promises that its pizzas are free of antibiotics, hormones, added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and other freaky chemicals. NakedPizza launched its franchise company in October of 2009 and is currently on pace to have 400 – 500 stores under contract by the end of 2010.
