From established territories to undeveloped markets, Mountain Mike’s site selection is designed to help support your success

Location and site selection for your restaurant is everything. That’s as true now as it ever was, and things like parking, access, visibility, and positioning in the trade area make a difference at a time when people are increasingly looking for great pick-up options for dinner.

The right location can make or break your business, and that’s why we take Mountain Mike’s site selection seriously.

“For a lot of folks coming into a franchise system, finding the right real estate is a big challenge,” says Garrett Snyder, Vice President of  Development. “Site selection is the foundation of creating a successful restaurant, and we have a very hands-on approach with our franchisees at Mountain Mike’s in helping them identify the right locations. Our involvement in the real estate site selection process is really, really big and we also have a data analytics tool at our disposal to help guide our site selection.”

An investment in your success

Mountain Mike’s has invested a lot of resources over the past few years into market planning, says Co-CEO Chris Britt, with an eye toward helping franchisees be as successful as possible. Sophisticated demographic mapping and forecasting make it easier for us to evaluate a site’s suitability, and we make sure you have access to all the information we have.

“It all starts with picking a good location,” Britt says. “We’ve invested in certain resources to basically evaluate the quality of a site, and we don’t want to open a site unless it has the opportunity to be at least a million-dollar store.”

Those types of real estate opportunities exist in all kinds of communities. Mountain Mike’s franchisees thrive in large cities, and we also have very successful franchises in towns as small as 15,000.

Site selection is only part of the equation, of course. Our franchise owners execute the vision and make the magic happen. They’re deeply involved in their communities, and in turn, they can count on their communities for business.

“The more our franchise operators are engaged in the day-to-day operations and the community itself, the greater their results,” says Jim Metevier, President and COO.

Where we’re growing next

We have two key targets when it comes to our strategic growth:

Southern California: Mountain Mike’s has deep roots in Northern California, where the brand was founded in 1978, and is beloved everywhere there. But further south — San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Ventura County and Orange County, where our headquarters is now located — there’s a lot of blue sky.

Western states, including Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Mountain Mike’s has begun to expand to nearby states in order to reach new customers. By keeping our growth focused on the West, we can maintain strong operational support and benefit from customer familiarity as we expand into new markets.

Pizza restaurants including Mountain Mike’s have been performing well during the pandemic, so we are confident that now is a great time to invest.

“We’ve got a really superior product that’s really resonating with customers in new areas,” Snyder says. “As long as you choose a great location that’s close and convenient for customers, you’re in a really good position as a new franchisee.