MOD Pizza, the fastest-growing pizza chain in the U.S., has added its 10th franchise partner, DBMC Restaurants, which will develop 30 stores over the next seven years, according to a press release.
DBMC will open new MOD locations in central Alabama, southern Louisiana, southern and central Mississippi, and the greater Nashville area. The company anticipates opening its first store in Louisiana, its home state, in 2021. Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee are all new markets for MOD.
Related: MOD Pizza commits to hiring more employees with autism and differing abilities
As a multi-franchise restaurant group, DBMC Restaurants owns and operates the Santa Fe Cattle Company and Cody’s Original Roadhouse restaurants, both full-service steak house concepts, with locations across the South and Southeast. In addition, DBMC is the largest franchisee of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a family-oriented, sports-themed casual dining experience.
“We’ve been following the MOD story over the past several years and couldn’t be more excited to bring this incredible brand to the southern U.S.,” said Jason Gisclair, president and COO of DBMC Restaurants. “MOD’s commitment to being the leader in the fast-casual pizza category, coupled with a strong focus on their people and the communities they serve, has impressed us as we’ve watched their growth. We look forward to bringing jobs and opportunity to new communities over the next several years.”
Founded as a people-first brand in 2008 by entrepreneurs Scott and Ally Svenson, MOD is a pioneer of the fast-casual pizza sector, offering individual artisan-style pizzas and salads, made on demand, with any combination of toppings for one flat price. Prior to starting MOD, the Svensons built two successful retail concepts in the United Kingdom: Seattle Coffee Company and Carluccio’s. MOD’s executive team brings experience from leading brands such as Starbucks, Panera Bread and Chipotle.
In a recent interview with PMQ, Scott Svenson noted that 85 percent of its stores are company-owned. “That’s a reflection of the fact that we love our business and want to open and run as many stores as we can,” he said.
Related: How impact hiring helped MOD Pizza become the fastest-growing restaurant chain
When it comes to choosing franchisees, the Svensons are rather picky. “We are open, in a very selective way, to having more strong, philosophically aligned franchise partners,” Scott Svenson told PMQ. “Our litmus test is, do they understand who we are, buy into our philosophy and want to live it? And second, are they the type of people we would enjoy working and hanging out with? Life is short. We want to enjoy it and surround ourselves with people that raise us up and inspire us.”
“The DBMC team are well-established, impressive multi-unit operators, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to the MOD family,” Svenson said in the press release. “There’s no doubt this year has been extremely challenging. As we enter 2021, we’re full of confidence in our plan for continued growth across all of our markets and our ongoing commitment to be a force for good in the communities we serve. Our optimism is very much due to the incredible people that have joined us on this journey, and we’re grateful to team up with DBMC.”
MOD currently has more than 490 stores system-wide throughout the U.S. and Canada with plans for continued expansion. To learn more about MOD Franchising, visit www.modpizza.com/franchising.
