Why I Bought My Franchise: Premal Shanghvi, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza Franchisee

After Premal Shanghvi and his wife Leela decided they wanted to go into franchising, the right opportunity fell into their lap.

One cold night in February 2017, the Shanghvis stumbled upon a unique pizza joint, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza. After enjoying a signature artichoke slice from the unique and delicious pizza franchise, the couple was hooked. Soon after, they learned the brand had plans to franchise, and they signed on as the very first Artichoke Basille’s Pizza franchisees in New Jersey.

• The Shanghvis have a background in real estate management and development along with retail operations.
• His wife Leela has a background in institutional kitchen and operations.

They really like the concept of being part of an established business and brand that provides a solid structure and support system.

• They discovered Artichoke Basille Pizza in New York on a cold night in February 2017.
• It was a unique experience to witness so many people waiting patiently for a slice of pizza in frigid temperatures.
• Only a few businesses/restaurants carry that charm and fan-fare! Artichoke Basille’s Pizza was definitely one of them.

The opportunity came sooner than they expected, as a few months later they found out they were franchising. They applied to become their first franchisees in New Jersey.

• The one thing that really drew them to the Artichoke Basille’s Pizza concept, which stood apart from other brands, was the simplicity of the menu.
• They stayed true to what they knew and did it very well, and that was something they wanted to be a part of.

They applied online and received a call about a week later from Fransmart, their franchising development company at the time. They had a really good conversation about their expectations and what the overall franchise experience would look like.

• They had a preliminary conference call with Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, the founders of Artichoke Basille's Pizza.
• The conversation went really well, and a couple of weeks later they had a meeting in person at their corporate office with their entire team.
• They were really impressed with the passion, knowledge and experience that they brought to the table.
• More importantly, they were happy to get to know them in person.
• They were friendly, down to earth and also team-orientated.

Discovery day was really great because they were able to see the back-end operations of the business and how everything came together. It’s a really good time to ask questions, get a feel for real-time operations and get to know the franchise team.

• Be open and transparent with your potential franchisees.
• This helps to build confidence in the brand and the team as well.
• Be present to show support and guidance to create a personal work relationship and long-lasting trust.