MOD Pizza today announced it has expanded its development agreement with Best Pizza, their exclusive franchisee in Colorado. The deal increases Best Pizza’s development agreement from 25 to 45 locations, and adds Southern Wyoming to their territory. Best Pizza is operated by industry veterans Bob Merullo, Kevin Embree and Scott Schooler, who opened their first MOD in the Denver area in September 2014, and currently, operate 16 locations across Colorado. The new MOD locations will open over the next seven years.

“Colorado has been a fantastic market for MOD, and the team at Best Pizza has done an incredible job bringing the MOD brand to life across the state,” said Scott Svenson, co-founder and CEO of MOD Pizza. “As our largest franchisee, they continue to develop high performing stores, consistently deliver a great experience to customers and are making positive impacts in each of their local communities. We are really proud to be working with Bob and his team and are confident their success will continue as they expand further in Colorado and into Southern Wyoming, extending MOD’s footprint to 29 states.”

Seattle-based MOD Pizza is a pioneer of the fast-casual made-to-order pizza segment, founded in 2008 by entrepreneurs Scott and Ally Svenson. The Company has been recognized as the fastest-growing restaurant chain in the United States for the past four years, and currently has over 460 locations system-wide, with an additional 20+ stores slated to open by the end of 2019. At its core, MOD is a purpose-led company committed to using the business to make a positive social impact in the communities it serves.

“We’ve loved introducing MOD to new communities over the past several years, and we’re really excited for this next stage of development,” said Bob Merullo, CEO of Best Pizza, LLC. “It’s rare to find a brand that is steadfast in its commitment to build a successful business while putting its people and their communities first. We’ve found that unique mix with MOD and we’re looking forward to what the future holds.”

Best Pizza opened the first MOD Pizza franchise location in September 2014 and currently operates 16 locations spread across the greater Denver area, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Greeley.