FDD Talk 2015: The Your Pie Franchise Opportunity (Financial Performance Analysis, Estimated Costs, and Other Important Stuff You Need to Know)

In this FDD Talk 2015 post, you’ll learn the following:

• Section I – Background information on the Your Pie franchise opportunity, including relevant news updates

• Section II – Estimated initial investment for a Your Pie franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2015 FDD

• Section III – Presentation and analysis of Your Pie’s financial performance representations, based on Item 19 of the company’s 2015 FDD, including information on the:

• 2014 average gross sales per day for the 4 new Your Pie restaurants that opened after June 1, 2014 using the franchise’s new restaurant store model

• total gross sales for each of the 4 new Your Pie restaurants that opened after June 1, 2014 using the franchise’s new restaurant store model, since the restaurant’s opening date through March 31, 2015

Section I – Background Information

While down-the-line fast-casual pizza restaurants are now popping up all over the place, Your Pie founder Drew French says the concept originated in Athens, Georgia, when he was inspired to try his hand at the Italian approach to pizza baked in brick ovens.

His ideas are strongly rooted in the Italian tradition to which he was exposed when visiting his wife’s family on the island of Ischia during their honeymoon in 2006. He was impressed with how quickly custom, artisan pies could be assembled and cooked by using high-temperature brick ovens.

The first location was established in 2008 in Athens, Georgia, which remains the company’s headquarters today. The décor of its stores blends “old Italian” style with a more modern, hipster approach.

Scattered mostly throughout the Southeast, there are currently 21 Your Pie locations in Georgia (15), South Carolina (2), Florida (3), and Tennessee (1).

Here’s how Your Pizza fires things up at its restaurants:

Your Pie, Your Way

The pizza assembly line at Your Pie has plenty of choices for patrons to make, including the dough (white, wheat, or gluten-free), the sauce (BBQ, Basil, Pesto, Garlic Olive Oil, Hot, Marinara, Ranchy Marinara, Sundried Tomato, Thai), the cheese (Cheddar, Feta, Fresh Mozzarella (circles), Gorgonzola, Low Fat Mozzarella, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta, Vegan Cheese) and more than 35 different fresh and premium toppings.

Freedom from Choice

Some customers just can’t handle all those choices, so they can also select from among the chain’s seven signature pies and its Pie of the Year. The current favorites always available include:

• The Great White (extra virgin olive oil with fresh ricotta, mozzarella, and feta cheese)

• The Lineage (traditional marinara with pepperoni, sausage, green bell peppers, black and green olives, Vidalia onions, baby portabellas, and melted mozzarella)

• The Hippie (sun-dried tomato basil sauce with low-fat mozzarella, tofu, spinach, artichokes, baby bellas, banana peppers, and roasted garlic)

• Southern Heat (grilled chicken smothered in hot sauce with jalapenos, red onions, and mozzarella)

• BBQ Chicken (zesty BBQ sauce with melted mozzarella, grilled chicken, red onions, and cilantro)

• The Ischia (roasted garlic olive oil with fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, basil, and garlic)

• Thai Pie (spicy Thai sauce with melted cheddar, grilled chicken, carrots, sweet corn, red onions, and cilantro), and

• The Nat (fresh basil pesto sauce, mozzarella, feta, grilled chicken, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes)

Expansion Plans

The company’s website currently lists the following “coming soon” locations: Chicago, Illinois (7); Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; Tallahassee, Florida; Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia (6); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (3); Houston, Texas; and Scottsdale, Arizona. That’s 21 new locations to come online soon.

Creative Pi

One of the chain’s recent creative promotions comes with the tagline of what goes better with a Pie than a Pint? At participating locations on Thursday nights, patrons can purchase a pint of craft beer for $3.14 – the price of pi.

Ordering a pint of the location’s selected brew of the month allows patrons to take their pint glass with them when they leave. Diners can also join the Pi(e)nt Club to earn a free entrée after accumulating ten purchases of pints.

Fresh Offerings

In addition to its creative pi promotions, Your Pie also comes up with a variety of limited time offerings, such as its launching of the seasonal Craft Pie Series.

Its most recent roll-out to celebrate its 7^th anniversary was the new Maple Bacon Gelato pizza, as well as a revival of its popular Slider Pie (hand-tossed dough topped with roasted garlic olive oil, white cheddar cheese, meatballs, red onions, pickles, and yellow mustard).

Section II – Estimated Costs

• Please click here for detailed estimates of Your Pie franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2015 FDD (updated).

Section III – Financial Performance Representations (Item 19, 2015 FDD) and Analysis

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