Struggling build your own pizza chain MOD Pizza has closed two more locations in metro Atlanta including those in Buford and East Cobb. The East Cobb closure, first reported by East Cobb News, and Buford follow the March closure of the chain's Chamblee unit.
Including the Chamblee closure, the Bellvue, Washington-based chain closed 26 locations in the first quarter of 2024, according to Restaurant Business Magazine. News spread in early July that the company, which had by the end of 2023 swelled to more than 550 locations, was in financial straits and was considering a bankruptcy filing. Days later the company was acquired by Elite Restaurant Group, a Los Angeles-based multi-unit restaurant holding company that has bought or sold several struggling restaurant chains in recent years.
MOD's East Cobb struggles could be tied to the departure of anchor tenant GreenWise Market, a Publix-owned grocer that opened to much fanfare in the complex in June 2020 but shuttered in December 2021. Its roughly 25,000 square foot anchor space remains vacant. MOD's Buford location was, on the other hand, part of a well tenanted, new-build center with several anchors including a huge Rooms To Go, Topgolf, and Andretti Karting & Games, among others.
Reports indicate that MOD Pizza has shuttered a total of 44 units, primarily company owned, since the start of the year.
MOD, which stands for "made on demand," was founded in Seattle in 2008, and today includes 505 locations across 28 states. Southern Pie, LLC, a franchise group led by Robbie Hill and his daughter Kimberly Hill Hayden, are owners of MOD stores in Georgia and Alabama.
Southern Pie's first MOD opened in 2017 in Kennesaw Marketplace in Kennesaw. Following the closures, MOD's remaining locations in Georgia are Decatur, Dawsonville, Kennesaw, Sandy Springs, Cumming, and Augusta.
MOD and Pasadena, California-based Blaze are the two largest players in the "create your own" quick-serve pizza industry, each with multiple locations in Georgia. For its part, Blaze has four locations in metro Atlanta plus additional units in Valdosta and Brunswick. The chain has not closed any locations in Georgia, but the metro Atlanta units were sold last year by original franchisee Carl Hoover to another group.
Collectively, MOD and Blaze have seen far more success than smaller players in the same pizza space. Atlanta-based Uncle Maddio's Pizza, as well as national chains Pieology, Pie Five, and 1000 Degrees Pizza have each closed most or all of their local units. Your Pie, another Atlanta-based franchise, has had mixed success with several locations still open, but failed locations in Dunwoody, Buckhead and Tucker, among others.
Are you surprised to hear of MOD Pizza's closure in Buford and East Cobb? What is your favorite quick-serve pizza eatery? What would you like to see open in place of MOD Pizza in Buford or East Cobb?
Please share your thoughts below.
10 comments:
Things are closing too much
The concept of these places just isn’t great. You pay a high price for a small pizza that isn’t great quality. You can get a much cheaper Dominos that is just as good of quality. For similar prices you can get a much better quality pizza that is normal sized, not small. There is no incentive to go.
There is no pizza Domino's sells that is anywhere near edible. A frozen pizza is superior. MOD was ok, Blaze is better.
Franchises are always risky. Company is just interested in collecting franchise fees.
Maybe they should try going to different areas of the metro area, seems like every time a restaurant closes its usually in the same area that other restaurants have closed, probably due to market saturation and people having less disposable income but the ones having the disposable income having to many options to choose from
Mod and Blaze are no better than Domino’s.
There is so much pizza that is GOOD and a reasonable price in the Atlanta area. I just don't see the draw to go to these premade dough, conveyer belt pizza places. I'm no fan of Dominos, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, etc, and while Antico and pizza like that is more expensive, there's so much decent middle of the road places like Johnny's or even Mellow Mushroom that is miles better than Mod, Blaze, etc. I just don't get the rise of these places. Cupcakes, froyo - I understood (despite the eventual failure), but there's so much pizza, what resulted in their popularity...
I'm not surprised. @TheOriginalPancakeHouse at this location was really good until the last owner change. I went there 2 years ago and their coffee was terrible. Instead of having their Original Pancake House coffee brand, they "said" they ran out and were using Folgers (Bleh). Then, instead of having Heavy Whipping cream to put in coffee, they had cheap half n half creamers in the little cups. Also, no freshly whipped butter, just pats of butter. Sounds like the new owners went rogue and just cut corners on the quality. Huge disappointment. I was a loyal customer from the the early 1990s until 2 years ago when a lot of their loyal employees either quit or were let go and their quality tanked.
I think most people, when we go out for a quick/not super expensive meal, we generally want a burger or similar, so I think just conceptually, the quickserve pizza concepts just tend to not do great. And is this better than the $7 medium from Dominos or PJ's?? I don't know. They are different, but both can satisfy a pizza craving.
We ate at the one in SS once, it was a good place to eat before a show at the nearby city springs. The pizza was good, nothing wrong with it, and it was not expensive (whereas Mellow Mushroom is quite expensive, imo). Parking was easy and we got in and out with ample time to get to the show.
But when we do go out, we are typically getting some other type of food, not quickserve pizza.
Mellow Mushroom and Johnny's are the only pizza places that I go to. Fellini's used to be good, but they have become a logistical nightmare since the reconfiguration in Buckhead, plus they were rude as he!! to my wife back during COVID. Blue Moon is also good, but again, a logistical nightmare to get to.
Wanted something different recently, and was duped into a Papa John's because of the so-called NY style pizza, which was nothing more than a wretchedly poor gimmick.
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