Pizza Inn, America's hometown pizza place, announced today it has executed a multi-unit development agreement with the company's franchise business consultant, Dion Firooznia. Operating under the name D2 Restaurant Group, Firooznia and his team plan to open six buffet restaurants in Tennessee and North Carolina with the first opening anticipated in Elizabethton, Tenn., by the end of calendar year 2021.
"Once I learned about the concept and value of the Pizza Inn brand, I wanted to be part of what's happening here," said Firooznia. "I have always wanted to be a franchisee, and I am confident in my ability to find and train good leaders to manage restaurants. The leadership is taking this company in the right direction, and I'm excited about the product innovation and great quality."
Firooznia started his career as an hourly employee at Carl's Jr. Restaurants as a teenager. He worked through the ranks at CKE Restaurants and moved to Hardee's Food System before opening his own restaurant concept in Germany. Firooznia was instrumental in leading the turnaround for Bojangles' Restaurants, was responsible for 110 company-owned stores and opened 79 restaurants during his 15-year tenure. He was an operating partner for 14 Qdoba Mexican Eats Restaurants in North Carolina before joining Pizza Inn in 2020.
"Dion immersed himself in the Pizza Inn brand over the last year and helped franchisees grow their business and improve standards," said Mike Burns, Chief Operations Officer of Rave Restaurant Group. "His proven management track record and experience reviving restaurants make Dion the perfect leader to re-establish Pizza Inn's roots in North Carolina and Tennessee. We are confident Dion will set the standard for operating high volume, buffet restaurants in at least six locations across different markets."
Pizza Inn continues to offer very attractive incentives for new and existing franchisees to open new units.
Firooznia will open his first Pizza Inn in Tenn., followed by a second location in North Carolina in the Spring of 2022.
"Everywhere we go right now in Elizabethton, we feel the love and the residents tell us how excited they are that Pizza Inn is coming back," added Firooznia. "The value of our hometown pizza buffet is unmatched: 12-15 fresh pizzas, a great salad bar, a delicious pasta bar and desserts at an affordable price."
Pizza Inn is known nationwide for its outstanding, high-quality house-made pizza dough, fresh ingredients, all-day buffet and exceptional service. The brand's original pizzas create distinctively unforgettable flavor combinations with house-made pizza dough that, unlike its competitors, is made from scratch every morning in every store and is never frozen or made in a factory.
For more information, please visit https://www.pizzainn.com.
