Pizza chain Mellow Mushroom transforms business for better efficiency, experience

The pizza category had a tough go of things in 2025. According to the most recent Technomic Top 500, pizza was the only menu category to experience negative growth last year, with sales falling 0.3% collectively.

This came a year after the Mexican food category surpassed pizza in sales for the first time; pizza is now the sixth-largest menu category among Top 500 restaurant companies, as measured by sales.

So what’s the problem?

Ahsan Jiva, executive vice president of strategy and transformation for the Atlanta-based company, thinks it comes down to experience. QSR pizza chains have spent the past 30 years chasing convenience and value through off-premises service, and Jiva believes customers are more and more interested in a pizza experience that is fun and memorable.

Mellow Mushroom, which has grown to around 170 locations in 17 states in 50-plus years, is doing its part to create a memorable experience, offering full service and a bar alongside countercultural vibes. But the chain is in the midst of a three-year transformation, which includes kitchen technology upgrades as well as a new store prototype that shrinks the traditional footprint and introduces some counter service components.

Jiva joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to dive into the ingredients making up the brand’s transformation and how the flexible service model is empowering franchisees and GMs to take the business to the next level.

In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:

• Barbell pricing strategies can extend to beverage

• Consider the fringes of your menu for innovation

• The pizza category may have a use case problem

• Pizza also has an experience problem

• Chains should consider the jam band approach where no two experiences are alike

• No matter how varied your experience is, the brand must be consistent

• The best use for new tech tools is to supercharge your GM