BY EDDY GOLDBERG
Founder Profile
MOD SQUAD She saw a need and created a brand ( twice !)
Ally Svenson , co-founder of MOD Pizza with her husband Scott , is no stranger to starting and growing a business . When she lived in London in the 1990s , she missed her Seattle coffee — so they founded Seattle Coffee Company in the U . K ., eventually selling it to Starbucks . Back home in Seattle she searched for “ fast , affordable , real ” food for her on-the-go family of four active boys . Not finding anything that met her expectations , she and Scott founded fast casual brand MOD Pizza in 2008 . Today , with more than 100 locations , the dynamic duo is set to go back across the pond to the U . K ., part of their plan to open more than 100 new stores per year . As the saying goes , “ If you see a niche , fill it .”
STARTING OUT
What inspired you to start your business ? Scott and I have four active boys and we are always shuttling them around to sports practices and other activities . Like so many busy families , we struggled
NAME : Ally Svenson TITLE : Co-Founder , Head of Brand BRAND : MOD Pizza
SYSTEM-WIDE REVENUE : $ 60 + million ( 2015 )
NO . OF UNITS : 16 franchised , 108 company-owned
INTERNATIONAL UNITS : None , expanding into the U . K . in 2016
GROWTH PLANS : Open 100 + stores annually for the foreseeable future
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ? Private YEAR COMPANY FOUNDED : 2008 YEAR STARTED FRANCHISING : 2013 YEARS IN FRANCHISING : 3
8 Franchiseupdate ISSUE II , 2016