Former NFL Player Goes All In on Pie Five

Fast-casual, customizable pizza chain has quickly become a hot concept for franchisees.

December 14, 2015

DALLAS – Pie Five Pizza Co., a subsidiary of RAVE Restaurant Group Inc., is enjoying rapid growth with its fast-casual, customizable handcrafted pizza business, which offers customers made to order personal pizzas in less than five minutes.

Pie Five has grown from one location to more than 75 in less than four years across the United States, a number that will substantially increase as more franchise deals are inked. RAVE plans to have 400 Pie Five locations in operation over the next five years.

The popularity of the company is also attracting some big names as franchisees, who literally want a piece of the Pie Five pie. Pie Five announced last year that it had awarded up to 10 franchise units to former NFL player Billy Bajema and his brother-in-law Tyce Jones. They partnered with Bajema’s Oklahoma State University teammate Josh Fields and Brandon Birdwell, who also owns three Firehouse Subs franchises in the Stillwater, Okla., area, to form Pistol Pie LLC. The group’s multi-unit agreement covers the entire state of Oklahoma.

QSR Magazine last week followed up with Bajema, who shared tips on how he and his partners are translating their teamwork mentality into running their business.

To start, the former teammates have found that they make good business partners. Bajema told the news source that being teammates built a sense of trust and understanding of their work ethic. Also, they treat the franchise like a pro sports team; where working and reaching an agreement together builds both excitement and positive attitudes.

Later this week, Pie Five is opening its first Colorado restaurant in Longmont. “Whether it’s the farm fresh ingredients or house-made dough choices, Pie Five will elevate the way Colorado experiences fast casual pizza,” said Kyle Gerstner, Pie Five Pizza franchise partner, in a press release. “Pie Five is different from other pizza concepts because we offer so many more choices and have the fastest oven in the industry. It only takes 145 seconds to experience one of our signature chef-inspired pies or to make your own creation.”

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