Sponsored By

CEO of Houston based franchise Crust Pizza Co. is setting chain up for major growthCEO of Houston based franchise Crust Pizza Co. is setting chain up for major growth

Carl Comeaux shares how Crust stands out from the rest of the pizza category

Sam Oches, Editor in Chief

November 6, 2024

Carl Comeaux has been an entrepreneur for most of his life. When he was 16 he became a personal trainer, and he sped through college — earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees simultaneously in three-and-a-half years — so he could get back to building a team to support his fitness career. Then, in 2017, he was part of the team that cofounded Main Squeeze Juice Co. in Lake Charles, La.

Now Comeaux is bringing his entrepreneurial energy to Crust Pizza Co., a pizza franchise based in The Woodlands, Texas, that serves Chicago-style thin-crust pies. After exiting Main Squeeze, Comeaux and his business partner Nick Fontenot opened a Crust franchise in Lake Charles, but later partnered with founders Clint Price and Mark Rasberry in the C-suite — Comeaux as CEO and Fontenot as chief technology officer.

Comeaux joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about how his knack for entrepreneurialism has given him a unique viewpoint as CEO of the business and how the partners are creatively positioning Crust as they prepare to scale it across the Southeast.

In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:

  • Scalable requires simple

  • Pizza doesn’t have to be dine-in or off-premises exclusive

  • The Pizza Hut of yesteryear made an impression on younger consumers

  • Developing your own proprietary tech is a value add for your whole system

  • The more you give, the more you receive

Related:How Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams uses new flavors to drive guests to scoop shops

Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].

About the Author

Sam Oches

Editor in Chief

Sam Oches is the award-winning Editorial Director of Informa's Restaurant Group, which publishes Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Sam previously served as Editorial Director of Food News Media, publisher of QSR and FSR magazines. He’s a past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) and a past board member with the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). His foodservice insights have been shared in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and three kids.

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.