Franchise Book 2021

Jump to section:

The Grimaldi's Concept

Our award winning concept is built around our signature, New York style pizzas, which are made using only premium ingredients and an over 100-year-old pizza-making tradition that uses coal-fired brick ovens. Our custom built coal-fired brick ovens are the center stage in each restaurant where our pizza makers work in an open kitchen to create an entertaining and truly authentic New York pizzeria experience for our guests.

Along with our hand-crafted pizzas and calzones, we offer an array of freshly made salads and appetizers, decadent house-made desserts and a premium bar, complete with a curated wine list and our signature Tuscan red blend, Mille Gradi. The combination of our award-winning menu, pizza-making history and inviting New York themed atmosphere is what sets the Grimaldi’s concept apart from the rest and makes our brand so exceptional.

Collage of Grimaldi's photos in the kitchen and dining room

Our Signature Coal-Fired Brick Oven

Built by hand, our signature coal-fired brick oven bakes our pizzas and calzones to perfection while delivering a tantalizing aroma and unique flavor that is just not possible from gas, convection or wood ovens. The intense heat of the oven evenly bakes the pies to create Grimaldi’s famous crispy and smoky crust that keeps friends and families in neighborhoods across the country coming back time and time again.

The Pizza That Made The Brooklyn Bridge Famous^™

Our story begins in New York City in the late 1800s. According to lore, an Italian immigrant baked coal-fired brick oven pizzas in a small Brooklyn bakery and transported them to Manhattan to be sold. New Yorkers went crazy for the new creation and the love for coal-fired brick oven pizza was born. At the time, regulations made it impossible to construct a coal oven in Manhattan, so New Yorkers eagerly crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to eat their new favorite food.

Grimaldi’s has stayed true to the authentic pizza-making traditions that began over 100 years ago. Today, at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, Grimaldi’s serves delicious coal-fired brick oven pizza as close to the original as you can find anywhere. Every pizza at Grimaldi’s is hand stretched, topped with savory sauce and fresh, hand sliced mozzarella, then cooked to perfection in Grimaldi’s signature coal-fired brick oven. Staying true to this New York pizza-making tradition is what gives Grimaldi’s pizza its award-winning taste.

While you can still make the trek across the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn and find Grimaldi’s pizzaiolos making the world’s best pies, pizza loving families can visit Grimaldi’s Pizzerias all over the United States. While there is no doubt that the Brooklyn Bridge is an icon, we all know what really made it famous…Grimaldi’s Pizzeria.

Culture

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria has built a strong culture based on our “8 Slices of Culture.” Our culture in combination with our key ingredients--People, Product and Service--are the driving forces in how we operate, make decisions and interact with one another. Our culture extends outside of our restaurants in supporting our communities through organizations like Childhelp and No Kid Hungry.

8 Slices of Culture

Integrity
Quality
Hospitality
Communication
Energy
Family
Accountability
Teamwork

Awards & Accolades

Our coal-fired crust, fresh ingredients, hand sliced mozzarella and authentic pizza sauce have made us an award-winning pizzeria across the United States.

Food Network - Best Pizza in America's Biggest Cities 2018

Travel Channel - Best Places I've Ever Been 2012

Franchising

Our proven family friendly New York style pizzeria concept is already enjoyed by pizza lovers across the United States. With best-in-class culinary offerings, we are positioned to deliver our exceptional guest experience to neighborhoods across the nation by awarding Franchise Agreements and Development Agreements to franchisees who are in those markets.

Franchise Support

We have an experienced leadership and management team poised for growth and prepared to provide you with the ongoing support you will need to own and operate a Grimaldi’s Pizzeria franchise. We have developed and refined our restaurant operating systems and processes, providing our franchisees with a road map and hands-on support for the successful execution of the Grimaldi’s brand.

The following are just some of the tools and resources provided:

Site selection
Construction and build out
Comprehensive training program
On-site opening support
Ongoing operations and marketing support
Certified training stores throughout the U.S.

Our Ideal Franchisee

Business acumen and previous business or management experience
Committed to treating guests and associates with the highest ethical standards
Desires to be involved in their local community
Passionate for the foodservice industry and the drive to be involved in the daily operations
Restaurant operators looking to expand their local market share or successful franchisee groups seeking to diversify their portfolio

Franchise Opportunity

The following tables present information about the historic annual sales of 47 Company-Operated Grimaldi’s Restaurants that were open during the entire 2023 calendar year.

TTM Gross Sales Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023	Tier 1 Top Third	Tier 2 Middle Third	Tier 3 Bottom Third
# of restaurants	14	14	13
Average Gross Sales	$3,901,273	$2,864,475	$1,939,072
Range of Gross Sales	$3,248,066 – $5,254,848	$2,361,735 – $3,242,084	$1,444,840 – $2,357,281
Median Gross Sales	$3,843,467	$2,885,880	$1,933,949
# and Percentage of Restaurants in each Tier at or above Average Gross Sales	7/50%	9/64%	6/46%

TTM Gross Sales Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023	Tier 1 Top Two Thirds	Tier 2 Bottom Two Thirds
# of restaurants	27	27
Average Gross Sales	$3,420,694	$2,418,911
Range of Gross Sales	$2,427,928 – $5,254,848	$1,444,840 – $3,242,084
Median Gross Sales	$3,248,066	$2,361,735
# and Percentage of Restaurants in each Tier at or above Average Gross Sales	11/41%	13/48%

TTM Gross Sales Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023	Tier 1 Gross Sales Greater Than $2,500,000	Tier 2 Gross Sales Between $1,750,000 and $2,500,000	Tier 3 Gross Sales Less Than $1,750,000#
# of restaurants	26	11	4
Range of Gross Sales	$2,569,685 – $5,254,848	$1,894,690 – $2,427,928	$1,444,840 – $1,702,533
Median Gross Sales	$3,250,841	$2,128,307	$1,494,189
Average Gross Sales	$3,458,878	$2,169,257	$1,533,943
# and Percentage of Restaurants in each Tier at or above Average Gross Sales	9/35%	5/56%	1/17%

*This data is from Item 19 of our 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document.

Franchise Facts

Question: What steps do I need to complete to franchise restaurants with Grimaldi’s Pizzeria?

Complete an application
Review Franchise Disclosure Document
Perform due diligence
Attend Discovery Day
Receive franchise award
Sign a Franchise or Development Agreement
Secure a location and build out
Train
Open your restaurant

Question: What is the total initial investment range?

$1,347,800 to $1,755,000

Question: What are the recurring royalties and marketing fees?

Our royalty fee is 6% and our brand fund fee is 2% of gross sales

Locations

Currently, we own and operate 44 Grimaldi’s Pizzerias in 12 states. Our goal is to bring Grimaldi’s authentic New York style coal-fired brick oven pizza to pizza lovers across America. We continue to own and operate company stores to sharpen our competitive edge and learn from our strong connection with our guests and brand ambassadors who patronize our locations daily across the United States.

Real Estate

Start with an outstanding site, add a red-hot concept and everybody wins! Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is a destination location that drives both traffic and excitement. So what do we look for when choosing our premier sites?

The Ultimate Space

3,200 - 3,800 square feet, including 1,000 square foot patio
Up to 4-6 parking spaces designated for take-out customer parking
Highly visible endcap within outdoor lifestyle center; urban venues will be considered
Highly visible monument or directional signage
High traffic, premium multi-tenant development with a strong community appeal

The Ultimate Demographic

Population of 75,000 within the trade area
Frequent visits by guests ages 25 - 50
Median household income of $75,000 or more

The Ultimate Neighbors

Movie theaters
Full-service restaurants
High-end outdoor lifestyle retail
Family entertainment venues

The Ultimate Facility

HVAC: 1 ton per 125 sq.ft.
Electrical: 400 amp service – 120/208 V, 3 phase 42 breaker panel (400 amp minimum)
Water: 1.5” minimum tap
Oven: The pizza oven without the footing weighs approximately 28,000 pounds with an 8’ x 10’ footprint
The oven flue pipe must have direct access to the roof

Interior Features

With Frank Sinatra crooning in the background, Grimaldi’s offers guests a traditional pizzeria experience in a modern loft-like interior. The combination of red-and-white checkered tablecloths, red brick, and a mix of redwoods and corrugated steel bring to life an urban, yet family friendly atmosphere. Our custom signage harkens back to our New York roots, while our custom wine bottle chandeliers provide a stunning backdrop to our already unique dining experience.

Collage of interior views of Grimaldi's restaurants

Collage of interior and exterior views of Grimaldi's restaurants

Exterior Features

Continuing the contemporary look of the interiors, Grimaldi’s exteriors consist of a mix of stone, steel and brick, which provides a warm, recognizable facade for our locations. These finishes allow Grimaldi’s Pizzeria to fit and blend well with a variety of shell building structures and finishes. One inviting element of our Grimaldi’s exterior is the interior/exterior bar top. This area of the exterior has a granite bar top with a sectional roll-up door, allowing the exterior patio seating area to be an extension of the inviting interior environment.