Famous Famiglia

Famous Famiglia is a true American success story, encompassing a large complement of company owned and franchised locations in the United States and internationally. Founded by a family of immigrants in 1986, Famous Famiglia now graces venues that include airports and transportation hubs, malls and shopping centers, colleges and universities, theme parks, hotels and casinos, stadiums and arenas, military bases, medical centers, motorways and urban locations.

At the heart of the Famous Famiglia story is a commitment to quality products and great customer service within a clean and comfortable environment, along with a highly motivated and passionate team. This is the driving force behind the company’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing pizza companies.

Attention to Detail
The quality of the food and overall customer experience is assured by hiring the right people, investing in training for employees and franchisees, proprietary recipes, third-party secret shopper programs, routine on-site inspections and ServSafe certification. The company also uses its own line of premium Famous Famiglia products to ensure quality ingredients.

Branding efforts have been another important piece of Famous Famiglia’s focus on building a reputation and staying in the public eye. Today the company is the official pizza of the New York Yankees, Madison Square Garden, Six Flags, Palms Casino and Hersheypark.

“We are very pleased that these organizations selected Famous Famiglia as their official pizza provider,” says Paul Kolaj, the company’s co-founder, president and CEO. “It is an honor to be associated with brands that share our virtues and philosophies.”

The brand also has been featured on “Celebrity Apprentice,” “The View,” “The Today Show,” Fox Business Channel, CNBC, CNN and Emeril’s Table. But brand building goes beyond media and entertainment; the company gets involved with community support and participation. As one example, a Famous Famiglia tradition that dates back to its first store is to donate all of the proceeds on the day a new store opens to a local children’s charity; many of its franchisees have picked up on that.

The company supports the communities it serves and gets involved with relief programs, as it did in the wake of natural disasters like the earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Katrina, and recently for Superstorm Sandy. Some of the organizations and events the company has supported include D.A.R.E¬., the Boy Scouts of America, Smile Train’s World Smile Day, and dozens of others.

Poised for Growth
Although company-owned stores are an important part of the Famous Famiglia footprint and its plans for growth, its franchising program has certainly helped to expand the brand. The Famous Famiglia franchise system is designed to preserve and extend the brand’s reputation while providing a business opportunity to entrepreneurs.

The company selects franchisee partners for their passion for food and the restaurant industry, a belief in quality service and a healthy work environment, the ability to motivate employees and a strong business plan and financial position.

Overall, the company has more than 100 locations and more under development in 23 states, as well as locations in China, Ecuador, Japan and Mexico. Additional locations are in the planning stages in Brazil, Canada, Europe, India and the Middle East.

In October, the company announced the opening of a unit in Japan at Tokyo Station along with its partner Sakai Foods, the brand’s master franchisee in Japan. In August came the announcement of the brand’s first South American location at Quito International Airport in Ecuador.

Growth is expected to continue at a strong rate. In September, the company announced the award of two additional locations at the new development of Terminal B South at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The units will open in March 2013 and expand the brand’s presence at the airport to five units.

That followed a March announcement about two additional units coming at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In January, the company announced agreements with partners in Canada and Brazil.

Overall, Famous Famiglia has a great success story to tell. Its continuing commitment to quality products and dining experiences, along with a strong plan to expand, will help sustain the fast-growing pizza brand.

“We feel blessed for having had a wonderful 26-year journey with the business, and look forward to next 26,” Kolaj says.