Fast Casual: Franchise Focus: 2 cousins sink teeth into fast casual pizza business

Francis Garcia and Sal Basille are no strangers to the restaurant industry, having grown up working in their parents' restaurants. According to a recent article in Fast Casual , the cousins found their own success by launching their own franchise, Artichoke Basille Pizza.

"We borrowed the money, built it ourselves, and we stuck to what we knew — pizza and beer. After being open only a few weeks, there was a line around the corner. We couldn't believe it," said Basille.

Since opening their doors, the cousins have expanded across New York City as well as into Miami and Berkley, California. The duo hopes to keep their impressive momentum going by finding franchise opportunities within the top 40 United States media markets.

Basille explained that they are, "looking for experienced and qualified multi-unit foodservice operators or well-capitalized investors interested in introducing New York's most famous, delicious, and popular pizza slice to new customers across the United States."

Garcia and Basille have been featured on the Cooking Channel as well as the Food Channel, which has helped to build buzz around the brand. The two hope that this will simply be the beginning of a much larger exposure and say that one day they'd like to see Artichoke in every city in the world.