Your Pie's Community-First Culture and Artisanal Approach to Food Increasingly Attracts Millennial Entrepreneurs

Ten years ago, chances are you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone in the franchising industry who thought people in their 20s or 30s were prime franchisee candidates. For the most part, franchise ownership has been reserved for a small demographic of high-net-worth individuals or executives from corporate America with the desire to go out on their own.

But lately, that perception has started to change—for young and emerging brand’s like Your Pie, Millennials have become a force to be reckoned with in their growing franchise system.

Andrew Williams and Ross Bradley didn’t waste any time starting their franchising career—the business partners were only 24 when they opened their first Your Pie location in Snellville, Georgia. Shortly after opening in summer 2015, their location broke records for opening sales, and their store has since held one of the top spots in the franchise system. And the reason they’ve had such success? Bradley believes it all comes down to Your Pie’s passion for taking a craft approach to everything they do.

“Your Pie has a proven product and our founder, Drew French, really hit the nail on the head with the concept—the product is as delicious as it is unique,” Bradley said. “Your Pie is totally different and truly celebrates craft and creativity. Everything is handmade to order and it’s so much fun for me to see someone’s reaction that’s never experienced something like this before. It proves we’re doing something right.”

Morgan and Lisa Maclellan share a similar story. At 26-years-old, the husband and wife duo opened their first Your Pie in West Atlanta, Georgia. For years, Morgan had been working for a company in a cubicle on a daily basis.

Unsatisfied and uninspired, he started searching for an opportunity that would be more fulfilling and challenging. Business ownership came to mind, but he was dissuaded by the fact that he had very little industry experience. Franchising became a realistic way to pursue his dream.

After reading an article about Drew French, he felt motivated, and he instantly turned to Your Pie as his first franchise investment.

It didn’t hurt that both Morgan and Lisa strongly believed in Your Pie’s product either. As an at-home beer brewer, Morgan had come to appreciate the beauty behind high-quality, craft beers—something that’s been a part of Your Pie’s DNA since its inception. And having enjoyed Your Pie’s pizzas while in college, he knew exactly the kind of quality he would be representing.

“We have a passion for entertaining and how food brings people together. We’re also interested in craft beer and quality foods—this opportunity with Your Pie really brought our two passions together,” Morgan said.

There’s a reason more and more Millennials are getting into business with Your Pie. This generation cares more about where their food comes from and its quality than their nonmillennial counterparts. They want businesses to be genuine and authentic. They have a deep love for their community and a need to support all things local. And they also have a taste for new and adventurous flavors. French believes that all of these things—and more—speaks to Millennials looking to get into a business for themselves.

“There’s this misperception about franchising—people often think that they will fall into the cookie-cutter trap. But I think younger people are seeing something different in Your Pie that they previously didn’t associate with franchising. We’re driven by the unique individualities in each of our communities.

We’re committed to the artisan approach when it comes to our pizzas. And we’ll always support local brewers by featuring their beers in our restaurants,” French said. “We’re finding that these are all priorities for the Millennial generation, and for that reason, people are eager to help us spread that message.”