By Brittany Engler
At just 19, an eager Shoaib “Abe” Mohammed, a Pizza Guys franchisee who manages four locations in Northern California, traveled to America to pursue a degree in finance. “Coming to the U.S. to go to college was a pretty big deal for someone growing up in a middle-class family. I came here alone,” Mohammed said.
More than 20 years later, he finds himself to be one of the more successful franchisees of the pizza brand, and he attributes this to loyalty—loyalty of team members and of guests—and the relationship built between the two.
“People go where they are treated right. If the customer has been treated right the whole time, they understand if we make a mistake,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed opened his first location in 1998 in Stockton, California, and he’s proud to note that his store was the 18th Pizza Guys restaurant. The brand now has over 100 stores nationwide. Several team members have dedicated their careers to making Pizza Guys the best it can be, with some veterans hitting 15 years or more with the franchisee.
“The first Pizza Guys location was not easy; we struggled for the first couple of years, but then figured out how to navigate it,” Mohammed said. “The biggest learning opportunity from the first store was finding the right team.”
Operating multiple locations requires trust in your employees to run with the resources provided to them. Pizza Guys’ corporate team works closely with its franchisees, hosting marketing meetings every two to three months to discuss performance, review operational procedures and brainstorm ideas. “I like that the founder, Shahpour Nejad, is very open to marketing ideas from the franchisees,” Mohammed said.
Over the years, Mohammed has operated 13 Pizza Guys locations, having a maximum of six open at once. Stores were closed for various reasons, mostly due to a shortage of talent in the area. His current four units reside in Stockton and Brentwood, but he has plans to open more in the next five to 10 years. Fremont, San Leandro and Los Angeles are a few areas he’s considering.
Before opening new stores, however, he is focused on training and preparing his son, Sauman, to run the family business. Since graduating from college in 2023, Sauman has shifted his attention full-time to learning the ins and outs of the business and is excited to grow. Mohammed is teaching his son management, marketing and the impact the economy can have on the bottom line.
The pizza industry has faced obstacles, with the main concern being the cost of labor and supplies. With California’s minimum wage increasing to $20 an hour from $15, the team has had to revisit its operations. “It’s very hard to manage labor costs with $20 an hour. If you needed 10 people before, now you would schedule eight to nine,” Mohammed said.
He doesn’t want to pass increased costs to consumers. The franchisee has lowered costs in other ways, including changing suppliers throughout the years and working closely with the corporate team to negotiate better vendor contracts.
When asked which menu item a first-time visitor should make sure to try, Mohammed recommends the Cheezee Garlic Rolls, which are rich, buttery garlic rolls made with the brand’s signature white garlic sauce and mozzarella cheese. In terms of pizza, Mohammed points to any of the eight to nine specialty pizzas on the menu.
Mohammed remembers when restaurant marketing involved a lot of grassroots networking, such as visiting local businesses to hand out flyers and paper menus, placing an ad in the local Pennysaver, and sending out mailers. Now that society is going digital, marketing tactics have followed suit. Mohammed and his team utilize influencers and social media to raise awareness. The team focuses on connecting with local influencers, regardless of their follower size, and invites them to try a specialty pizza and popular side like the Cheezee Garlic Rolls.
The franchisee has an open-door policy and encourages his team to share any marketing ideas they may have. “It helps because they are out there running the business. Any marketing ideas they bring, we try to incorporate them with whatever strategy we have,” Mohammed said.
For the past six to seven years, he has implemented a policy allowing any child who comes in with a parent to receive free ice cream when picking up a pizza. They also give free personal pizzas to kids doing well in school, usually through a coupon given by the teacher after an assignment or project is completed.
With team members and guests who have been with Mohammed for decades, the franchisee’s dedication to developing deep connections has contributed heavily to his success.
He has never lost sight of the discipline and hard work that defined his journey from Pakistan so many years ago. Today, seeing second-generation customers try his food is the ultimate reward for nearly 30 years of consistency and quality service. As he mentors his son to take over one day, the target remains scaling with purpose.
According to the operator, guests fall in love with the food and the team and keep coming back. “Customers who have been coming from almost year one, we are now seeing their kids—a second generation coming back for Pizza Guys,” Mohammed said.
This article has been reposted from PMQ Pizza’s sister website, QSR.com. Click here to view the original story.
