Thirty Years of Take ‘n’ Bake: Ed Holmes Reflects on a Lifetime With Papa Murphy’s

After 30 years with Papa Murphy’s — 15 on the corporate side and 15 as a franchisee — Ed Holmes has seen just about everything the brand has to offer. He started out helping the company expand into new markets as a franchise consultant and regional vice president, but made the leap into ownership in 2010 after Papa Murphy’s was acquired by private equity. He and his wife now own 18 locations across Arizona, stretching from Kingman in the northwest to towns southeast of Phoenix. In 2013, they partnered with longtime operator Jim Lovelace, whose family owns around 30 locations in the Northwest.

Holmes’ passion for the product — and the people — is what has kept him invested for three decades. “We love the concept of take ‘n’ bake pizza. We think it's the best product out there,” he said. “There’s pride in ownership. When you’re out in the community and talk about it, people light up.” Holmes also emphasized the hands-on nature of franchise ownership, saying, “It’s a hands-on, day-in, day-out business, like any other small business. If it's going to be successful, it really is up to you.” Despite the ups and downs, he says the customer feedback and community loyalty continue to energize him. “They love it as much as we do, and that’s awesome to see.”

1851 Franchise spoke with Holmes about his three-decade journey with Papa Murphy’s. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Reflecting on your 30-year journey with Papa Murphy’s, what do you want people to know about your story?

Ed Holmes: I think overall, we love the concept of take ‘n’ bake pizza. We think it's the best product out there. If you look at our awards and accolades over the years, they've been phenomenal. We've been ranked up there with some of the best in the industry — whether it's Chipotle, Chick-fil-A or in the pizza category — and we generally win every award or had for years.

We don’t track it as much as we used to — back when Nation’s Restaurant News or other organizations put more focus on it — but the product quality has always been top-notch. We rank very high on execution and customer service.

We’re proud of the people we work with on a daily basis. We started out with two locations and have built it up to 18. We just picked up one last year in the Kingman, Arizona area.

We’re really proud to walk around our communities and tell people we own Papa Murphy’s. Both my wife and I spend a lot of time promoting the brand in the communities we’re in.

1851: You started as a part of the Papa Murphy’s corporate team, but made the move to franchising 15 years ago. What led you to make that move?

Holmes: My wife and I owned a Mexican concept in Boulder, Colorado — a sit-down restaurant, kind of a Chipotle-style place. The product was great, but we ended up selling it and were looking for the next thing.

I put some feelers out and thought about becoming a franchisee for Papa Murphy’s. They were smaller at the time, less than 100 stores, and just entering the Colorado market. I spoke with Matt Collins, who was handling expansion as they moved east from the Northwest. They’d just experienced good growth in Utah.

He asked if I wanted to come on board and help develop Colorado. I thought that was a great idea. I could learn the brand and maybe become a franchisee down the road.

I started as a franchise consultant, moved up to regional vice president, and eventually received stock in the company. When we were bought by Charlesbank, that kept me around longer. Then, after the Thomas H. Lee acquisition, I decided to exit. My wife and I used some of the stock proceeds to buy a couple of stores in Arizona, and that’s how our franchise journey began.

We started as franchisees in 2010 and partnered with Jim Lovelace in 2013. Jim and his family have been instrumental in our success. They also own about 30 or so locations in the Northwest.

1851: How many Papa Murphy’s locations do you and your wife own?

Holmes: Eighteen. They’re all within a pretty wide swath of Arizona. With the new store in Kingman, we’re about three and a half hours northwest of Phoenix and about an hour southeast of Phoenix.

We’re in just about every community in between and even have one up north. I think we’re in all the major communities in the metro area.

1851: How has your perspective on franchising evolved over the years? What do you think people misunderstand about being a franchise owner?

Holmes: I think oftentimes people don’t understand that it’s still your business. The onus is really on you to make it successful.

Within Papa Murphy’s — especially here in Arizona — a lot of people got in thinking they could hire someone and just oversee them without being involved in the day-to-day. But it’s a hands-on, day-in, day-out business, like any other small business. If it's going to be successful, it really is up to you.

1851: What made Papa Murphy’s the right fit for you — and what has kept you excited and committed to the brand for three decades?

Holmes: The big one is the product and the people we work with every day. We love the customers — we have a great, loyal customer base.

There’s pride in ownership. When you’re out in the community and talk about it, people light up. Just a couple days ago, we were at a landscaping place, and I gave someone a card. The guy next to him said, “Oh my God, I go to that store all the time. I love that place.”

That kind of reaction keeps you energized. We live and die by our sales. Sometimes they’re down, often they’re up. Every morning we’re checking in to make sure we’re doing our part and helping guide the franchise system in the right direction.

We’ve had a lot of leadership changes over 30 years. Change can be good, but it takes time for new leaders to understand the brand. We’re a niche within the pizza industry.

Take ‘n’ bake sounded strange the first time I heard it. I brought it up to my wife and she wasn’t sure. Then I brought home a couple pizzas from Fort Collins — a chicken garlic pizza — and when she smelled it, she remembered it from a friend’s house in Oregon. She loved it. And that’s the thing — once customers try the product, they’re usually hooked.

It’s fresh and at its peak when you bake it at home. You’re not waiting for delivery. That’s what makes it great.

1851: Over the years, what have been some of your proudest accomplishments with the business?

Holmes: There’ve been many. I’m proud of moving up within the corporate organization and helping grow the brand. When I left corporate, we had around 1,300 stores, and I felt like I contributed to that growth — especially in new markets where I was involved.

On the franchisee side, I took over the Phoenix market when it was struggling. We were able to secure investment from Papa Murphy’s, matched it with franchisee dollars and turned things around. Over the past 15 years, we’ve seen significant growth in store count and sales volume.

1851: Looking back, is there anything else you’d like to share about your journey or what this milestone means to you?

Holmes: In this day and age, you don’t often hear about people staying with one organization for 30 years. I take a lot of pride in that.

My wife and I have built a tremendous team — a director of operations and three supervisors — and they’ve all been with us a long time. That tenure speaks volumes. We’re a small organization, but we’re really proud of what we’ve built.

1851: What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a franchisee — especially with a brand like Papa Murphy’s?

Holmes: Understand that you need to be present — especially during dinner rush and weekends.

We don’t do much for lunch, but dinner from 4 to 7 is key, and Sundays are strong because of sports and family routines. We lived near our first two stores and any time something went wrong, we were back there in a flash.

That commitment helped make those stores successful and laid the foundation for everything we’ve built. A lot of people don’t want to make that kind of commitment — especially if they have young kids. We were fortunate that our kids were in college, so we could give it everything.

Someone once said, “Ignorance can be bliss.” If you knew in advance everything it would take to be successful, you might not start the journey. But once you’re in it, and you love it — and we still do — it’s all worth it.

I was just at three of our stores on Tuesday, talking with customers. Tuesday is a busy day because we do the $12 Large Pizza deal. Hearing the feedback from guests — how much they love the brand — it energizes you.

They love it as much as we do, and that’s awesome to see.

ABOUT PAPA MURPHY'S

Papa Murphy's International LLC ("Papa Murphy's") is a franchisor and operator of the largest Take 'n' Bake pizza brand in the United States, with over 1,000 franchised and corporate-owned locations across the U.S. — plus locations in Canada and the UAE. It’s no surprise that their story is a little unconventional. After all, Papa Murphy’s brought an entirely new approach to the pizza industry. But their unique idea is a simple one: enrich life and community through craveable food. They focus on using quality ingredients, prepared fresh daily, to offer guests everyday meals to take ‘n’ bake at home with ease. In addition to take ‘n’ bake pizzas, Papa Murphy's offers a selection of salads, sides, desserts, and kid’s options. Learn more and order online at papamurphys.com.