Pizza Chain Seeks Local Franchisees
By: Jenny Kincaid Boone
A 10-year-old pizza chain wants to fire up a presence in South-west Virginia. Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, a Charlotte, N.C.- based restaurant company, is looking for sites in the Roanoke and New River valleys to land its newest eateries this year.
After opening its first restaurant in Charlotte’s historic Dilworth neighborhood in 1998, Brixx Wood has grown to include 10 company-owned restaurants in North and South Carolina.
It’s planning to open three more company locations this year, but the chain now is turning its strategy toward creating franchises.
That’s where the Roanoke Valley and other parts of South-west and central Virginia come in. Brixx Wood wants to hire a franchisee to open restaurants in Roanoke, Blacksburg and Charlottesville, said Neil Newcomb, president of franchising systems for Brixx Wood.
RETAIL: Brixx Wood popular in college towns
“Right now, we’re trying to find that perfect franchisee to develop those markets,” Newcomb said in a recent phone interview.
The company wants to increase its franchise base by 10 this year.
Brixx Wood locations average 3,200 to 3,400 square feet in size, serving pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven, as well as sandwiches, salads and pastas.
This would be Brixx Wood’s first move into Virginia, where Newcomb said the company would like to open three to five locations. The chain has been particularly popular in college towns, he said.
Owner of pizza and Italian eateries wants to sell
While one pizza chain is seeking out new locations in this region, the owner of two local pizza and Italian restaurants is trying to sell.
James Lentini, who owns Lentini’s Pizza in Roanoke County and Bella Pizza & Italian Restaurant in Troutville, wants to sell at least one of the eateries.
He said the work to maintain the businesses has become too intense for his family – mainly for himself and his wife, who are the primary operators.
Lentini opened Bella Pizza 13 years ago. Lentini’s on Hollins Road has been open for about a year and a half.
Walgreens to open fourth Roanoke location in 2008
Look for a new Walgreens drug store on Franklin Road in Roanoke to open this fall, according to Carol Hively, a spokeswoman for the retailer based in Illinois.
The store, which would be Walgreens’ fourth Roanoke Valley location, is planned for a site adjacent to Ukrop’s Super Market, which opened last year. The store will measure 14,800 square feet, Hively said, and will have a drive-through pharmacy.
It is unclear how this opening date will affect an incentives agreement with the city of Roanoke and the developer of Ivy Market, Bland Painter III.
In order for Painter to begin collecting $600,000 a year from the city, Walgreens must open by June 30, and both Ukrop’s and Walgreens must generate up to $600,000 together in taxes, according to the agreement, which was revised in September.
News from this week’s Storefront blog at http://blogs.roanoke.com/storefront/
- A new Little Caesar’s will open on Brandon Avenue Southwest in late February or early March.
- The Roanoke Valley’s breakfast market is heating up.
- Join the discussion about paper versus plastic bags at grocery stores.
