PMQ Pizza Magazine: Your Pie Creates a More Accessible Pizza Experience

The fast casual pizza frenzy shows no signs of slowing down. According to Technomic, in 2015, its growth rate surged by 11.5%, compared to 5.5% for limited service as a whole and 4.4% for quick service. The research firm also found that pizza tops the list of fast-casual outlets, with 37% of the share, beating out “specialty” with 19%, chicken with 16%, and burgers, sandwiches, Asian, Mexican and bakery concepts each representing 15% or less.

Quick-bake ovens have been a crucial component in the meteoric rise of fast-casual pizza. Customers create their own masterpieces start-to-finish in minutes, and an increasing number of competitors are tapping into the customization craze while catering to time-starved consumers. PMQ tapped head honchos at three fast-growing concepts to share their take on the trend, along with some crucial intel on the ovens that fire their businesses.

At Your Pie, the high-end fast-casual setting creates a more accessible pizza experience. Your Pie Founder Drew French wanted to give people a choice in the pizza dining experience. Before, it wasn’t all about customization and personal pizza done fast; you typically had to split a pizza unless you grabbed a slice. Now, through Your Pie, customers have latched onto the flexibility of fast-casual, getting exactly what each person in the dining group wants, including different options for sauces, cheeses and toppings.

The oven is the heart of Your Pie's restaurants, and the brand can cook anything with it, from panini breads, mushrooms or other toppings, to salmon on cedar planks. Everything Your Pie cooks goes through the oven—even their own turkeys for Thanksgiving!