Mountain Mike’s momentum keeps rolling with a multi-franchise development deal to expand in Utah
A new franchise development deal to open 30 Mountain Mike’s Pizza franchises in Utah over the next decade keeps our momentum rolling after our biggest year ever in 2020, with record same-store sales growth and total system sales surpassing $200 million.
Pelican Food Concepts LLC signed the exclusive rights to franchise in Utah. Pelican Food executive Mike Smith, former Brigham Young University basketball great and an alum of the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Clippers, is helping to spearhead the Utah expansion. The deal kicked off in March with the acquisition of the one existing Mountain Mike’s Pizza location in the state, which opened in South Jordan in 2006. The group is also in discussions on a handful of other prospective locations in the greater Salt Lake City area.<
“We’re thrilled to bring our premium pies and unique dining experience ideal for families, sports fans, celebrations, fundraisers and team gatherings alike, to Utah residents,” said Donte’ Andry, CEO and principal owner of Pelican Food Concepts.
Smith, a longtime dedicated member of the Salt Lake City community and studio broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz, added, “With my wife and I having 10 kids of our own, we know the importance of having a pizzeria restaurant like Mountain Mike’s within our communities, and we’re confident that our fellow Utahns will enjoy having a new family-friendly pizza spot in their neighborhoods.”
Pelican will be seeking franchise partners to operate some of the Utah locations.
“What Mountain Mike’s has to offer our franchisee partners is difficult to find: over 40 years of growth and successful operation, a large and growing food segment in pizza, strong brand momentum, and an attractive franchisee-centric business model,” said Chris Britt, principal owner and co-CEO of Mountain Mike’s. “This makes us a smart choice for entrepreneurs and multi-brand operators looking to grow their portfolios with an established brand in the high-performing pizza category.”
“Mountain Mike’s is in an exhilarating time of growth, and we’re proud to partner with groups like Pelican Food Concepts to introduce the brand to new pizza fans throughout the Western region,” added Ed St. Geme, also principal owner and co-CEO of the brand. “This is only the beginning of our expansion plans. Stay tuned for more exciting development news coming soon!”
Pizza is hot right now
The pizza segment is booming. On average, Americans consume 350 slices of pizza per second, according to CHD Expert. 94% of us eat pizza regularly, and 36% consider it the perfect breakfast food.
Mountain Mike’s is booming, too. Recent reports named Mountain Mike’s an emerging leader in the pizza space, one of the hottest franchise categories of 2021, and even called the pizza segment both recession-and pandemic-proof, a statement in many ways validated by our incredibly strong performance in 2020.
Utah is a prime market
As an area developer partner, Pelican Food Concepts plans to own and operate many of its own Mountain Mike’s Pizza locations and build a team of talented franchise partners to open other locations throughout Utah, a state that has been identified as a prime market for our family-friendly pizza franchise.
We anticipate opening approximately 25 new Mountain Mike’s Pizza franchises in 2021. Our 230-unit franchise system is primed to continue expansion throughout the Western U.S., from our home state of California as well as Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.