Denver-Based Mici Handcrafted Italian Launches Franchising; Signs 30-Unit Deal in Phoenix to Jump-Start Expansion

For the last 18 years Jeff Miceli, founder of Mici Italian, has been on a mission to solve an issue plaguing the $47b pizza industry ? speed and quality. While the vast majority of pizza restaurants can own one ? he wanted to own both. Now, with six ? and soon to be seven ? Colorado-based restaurants, a systemwide AUV of $1.2m, an award shelf full to the brim, and an operations model that celebrates speed, quality and pizza makers ? from their first baked pie to their thousandth ? the brand is preparing for national growth through franchising.

In fact, as soon as Miceli announced the expansion plan, Mici has already signed with franchisees to open in Phoenix (a 30-unit deal) and the Dallas-Fort Worth area (a 3-unit deal), with several new locations slated to open in 2022.

“We have spent the past 18 years building a restaurant brand that prioritizes delicious, well-made food that fits into our customers’ lives, and it’s a model that we are confident will resonate in markets nationwide,” Miceli said. “We have perfected a model of consistency: Each dish is prepared with the same care, all pizza dough is made with the same ingredients and stretched the same way and every pizza is fired at the precise right temperature. It’s a model that was designed to scale.”

Mici has already demonstrated the duplicability of its model. Back-of-house operations have been meticulously designed for efficiency, resulting in a model that can be easily emulated by franchise owners of all backgrounds.

“Mici is not a test tube brand  — you can really feel the family presence behind this brand, and it’s been paired with a great operational strategy,” said Mici franchise owner Lucas Farnham. “When you pair a 17-year-old family concept with high-horsepower metrics, it’s a totally different story and it’s a system that supports franchise owners and immediately launches them towards success.”

One such efficiency: Mici’s patented hand press, which mimics what hands do in preparing and stretching the dough, allowing even the most inexperienced worker to easily stretch and top each pizza within a minute. This tool cuts down on the skilled labor needed in the kitchen.

The menu is simple and streamlined, offering only pizzas, pastas, salads and gelatos. Pizza dough, pasta and sauces are all made from scratch prior to opening, allowing orders to be quickly assembled, cooked and plated in a fraction of the time other Italian restaurants spend preparing orders.

“The key to a successful quick-service restaurant is taking the skill out of the kitchen while maintaining the integrity of the food,” said Miceli. “It’s a difficult skill to master, but we have created the technology that allows a 17-year-old to become a productive pizza chef in just a few hours.”

Mici’s artisanal menu offers comforting, classic Italian fare steeped in generations of family history, all prepared quickly without losing an inch of quality, for families who don’t always have the time or money to prepare a full Italian dinner. Each location offers minimal wait and delivery times thanks to high-efficiency kitchen operations.

“We make the experience easy, fast and enjoyable for customers dining both inside and outside of our restaurants,” said Matt Stanton, chief growth officer, who recently joined the brand after holding the same position at WellBiz Brands. “For those dining in, customers generally get their pizzas within 10 minutes of ordering, and for those ordering at home, delivery times are no more than 35 minutes — a huge value driver for customers. They receive the New York-style artisan pizza they’re craving in the same amount of time as other large-scale fast casual brands.”

Offering best-in-class quality food, speed of service and a proven-successful investment, Mici is poised for explosive growth across the country and is taking steps to bring on savvy restaurant operators to scale the concept in key markets nationwide.

“Thanks largely to the key operational innovations Mici has developed to make its restaurants efficient, inexpensive and easy to run, the brand is well on its way to doubling its size by the end of 2022,” said Stanton.

The total investment range to open a Mici franchise is $233,405 and $597,605. For more information about franchising with Mici visit: https://www.miciitalian.com/franchising/.