How Mici Italian Remains a Positive Force in its Communities

Fast-casual restaurant Mici Italian has always been about people. It’s a family-owned brand started by three siblings dedicated to serving fresh meals, fast. Since the company’s inception in Colorado almost two decades ago, it has grown substantially, entering into franchising and expanding into the Texas, Arizona and Michigan markets. 

As Mici expands across the nation, the brand’s commitment to community and giving back remains strong. One of the driving factors behind their philanthropic efforts is that locals supported them and allowed them to stay in business while the economy was rocked by the pandemic. 

“Our sales were up about 15% while other restaurants were closing,” said Kim Miceli, Co-founder and Vice President of Brand Strategy. “We attribute that to the fact that our community loves us and wants to support us, because we support them.”

“The communities have helped us so much,” added Michael Miceli, Co-founder and Vice President of Strategic Integration. “So we really want to give back to them.”

Mici works very closely with schools in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, giving back to the kids with food, donations and more. Each year, the brand raises over $70,000 and donates it to more than 80 local schools.

“We had to pick as a company what we wanted to focus on,” said Kim. “There are so many great organizations, but we decided schools would be our main focus. I used to be a teacher before we opened Mici, and I’ve always had a passion for helping kids. So from the very start, we got involved with schools because it was a natural fit.”

She explained that Mici reached out to schools in each location’s delivery zone, offering 25% discounts and holding “Dining for Dollars” fundraisers, where 20% of sales go to the school. They also give every school a free pizza coupon for every student and teacher within a three-mile radius. In addition, Mici donates over 10,000 pizzas to education facilities each year, and even give away boxes so kids have a fun and interactive learning experiment with them.

“My son was doing fractions,” said Michael. “So we donated boxes to his class so they could learn about fractions using fake pizzas in our boxes.

Mici also opens its doors to teachers and students, hosting in-restaurant field trips so kids can see what a food industry operation looks like firsthand. 

“Every year, kindergarten classes come in for a field trip,” said Kim. “We work with the teachers to incorporate whatever they are teaching — it might be nutrition or community — and they also get a tour of the kitchen and get to make their own pizzas.” 

Beyond its involvement in the education sphere, Mici also gives back to the community by working with and donating to charities. The brand is well known locally for always coming up with creative ways to give back to the community and has a special focus on childrens’ charities.

“Any non-profit that benefits children can reach out to us and we donate free pizza and wine for them to auction off to raise money,” said Michael. “We also partner with HopeKids, which is an organization that works with children who have life-threatening illnesses. So every time you purchase a birthday cake gelato at Mici, for instance, we donate 25% to HopeKids. Franchisees can choose which organizations they want to work with to implement those things.”

Mici stresses a commitment to community involvement to all prospective franchisees. The brand encourages owners who live in the community to give back and have pride in operating there. 

“All of our partners share the same values,” said Michael. “We want every Mici, whether corporate or franchise, to make the community a central part of the business. And we want to make it a priority for the company.”

The cost to open a Mici Italian ranges from$233,405 and $597,605. For more information on franchising with Mici, visit https://www.miciitalian.com/franchising/.

*Total estimated initial investment includes estimated build out costs, inventory, grand opening marketing, initial franchise fee, deposits, and other costs needed to open a Mici restaurant. This information appears in item 7 of our 2021 FDD. Your results may differ.

About Mici Italian:

Founded in 2004 by Miceli siblings Jeff, Michael and Kim, Mici is an emerging Italian restaurant franchise based in Denver. Mici’s streamlined 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 and each location offers minimal wait and delivery times thanks to high-efficiency kitchen operations. Recently, Mici signed a 30-unit franchise deal in Phoenix with several new locations slated to open in 2022.