Your Pie Utilizing Bold Expansion Plans to Grow in 2016

As Your Pie approaches its 8th birthday, the fast-growing brand has a lot to celebrate.

Over the years, as interest in fast-casual pizza continued to rise among consumers (55 percent report eating fast-casual pizza at least monthly), many restaurants quickly realized they needed to jump on the fast-casual pizza wagon. But for Your Pie, they’ve been advertising themselves as just that since 2008. In other words, they were fast-casual pioneers before it was cool.

From the very beginning, Your Pie has prided itself on being the original down-the-line brick oven pizza concept. But it’s not just their innovative spin on a classic that has helped them stand out over the years—Your Pie has never wavered from their commitment to Italian pizza tradition and regionally-sourced ingredients.

“Fast-casual is really just redefining the restaurant space in general. People want fresh, they want customized and they want to control their experience. In 2008, when we introduced that same concept, but with pizza, we were essentially the first to market. People hadn’t really seen anything like that before,” said Your Pie Founder Drew French. “But eventually, our dedication to quality food and quality service spoke for itself. People realized that you really can have it all—convenience and a superior pizza.”

Now, that commitment is paying off in a big way.

Your Pie has emerged as a key player with staying power in a competitive industry--and they have the numbers to prove it. In 2015 alone, the brand signed 31 new deals in locations throughout the country, including South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama, Texas and Ohio.

“The multi-unit deals that we signed last year show us two things. One, the craft pizza business is set to explode. And two, Your Pie is quickly emerging as a strong player in this booming category,” said Ken Caldwell, Your Pie’s vice president of development. “There are a lot of pizza places out there these days, but thanks to our regionally-sourced craft beer selection, unique toppings and true dedication to the art of pizza-making, people realize we’re different—it’s really helped us come out on top in the past few years.”

Building off last year’s momentum, the brand has already experienced early success in 2016. With two new openings already under their belt, Your Pie is aiming to open 20 locations by the year’s end—and in doing so; they would boost their total number of nation-wide units to 50. Markets of interest include Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina; Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina; and Tampa and Orlando, Florida.

“At the end of the day, our best ambassadors are the local guys in their communities. We’re about growing with the right people, not necessarily just being the biggest and fastest. Our growth is methodical and tactful, and we believe that at the end of the day, our success will not only be noticeable, but sustainable,” Caldwell said.