A growing area of interest to eco-minded entrepreneurs is the “green” franchise. The website ”Franchise Direct“  advertises “green” franchises “that will earn you money, while caring for the Earth.”  One such green franchise that has demonstrated rapid and tangible economic results is Pizza Fusion, an up-and-coming restaurant franchise whose menu includes organic food, including pizza, sandwiches, salads, and even a selection of organic beer and wine.

Not Your Average Pizza Joint

Pizza Fusion is a young company, founded in 2006 by two former fraternity brothers from Florida Atlantic University, Vaughan Lazar and Michael Gordon.  Their concept was originally born out of a desire to create a place where people could dine out naturally and organically, on the go.  The resulting menu is 75% organic, including pizza with 100% certified organic sauce, organic crust options, organic pepperoni and organic sandwich and salad options.  Their meats are hormone-free and certified humane.  There are selections available for special diets, including vegan soy cheese and even gluten-free pizza.

Pizza Delivery in a Hybrid

And the eco-conscious choices do not stop with the menu.  Pizza Fusion delivers their natural, organic food in company-owned hybrid vehicles.  They offset 100% of their energy usage with the purchase of renewable wind energy certificates.  They recycle and encourage their customers to recycle by offering discounts for bringing back old pizza boxes.  They use only eco-friendly cleaners to sanitize their stores and provide employees with eco-apparel made from 100% organic cotton.  They will even hand you a pen made of recycled materials to sign your credit card receipt.

Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time

The restaurant, whose signature slogan is “Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time,” takes their mission statement seriously, providing community outreach, speaking at local schools on Earth Day, and hosting a free organic kids class every month that educates children on the importance of eating organic and recycling.

The First NJ LEED Certified Restaurant

Perhaps most impressive is the fact that each Pizza Fusion restaurant is built to LEED certification standards.  (For more information on the LEED rating system, see “Building Green:  A LEED Primer.”)  In fact, a recent addition to the Pizza Fusion family, a Ridgewood, New Jersey restaurant, boasts the title of first ever New Jersey LEED certified restaurant.  Among a host of other LEED certified practices, Pizza Fusion uses counter tops made from recycled detergent bottles and uses insulation made from recycled blue jeans.  Where possible, franchise owners are encouraged to obtain their “green” building supplies locally.

“Well, what makes this concept so unique is that restaurants in particular are such notorious energy guzzlers,” Aaron Goodman, co-owner of the first New Jersey Pizza Fusion proudly points around to the notable attributes of his LEED certified restaurant, including the recycled drywall, reclaimed wood tables and recycled artwork.  He knows a bit about the restaurant industry and the energy they typically guzzle;  he has been in the restaurant business for 10 years, and still owns several restaurants in his home state of Tennessee.  “I would love to go back and make them green,” he says.

So what brought Goodman to New Jersey and more specifically to Pizza Fusion?  His friend, and now business partner, Jeff Morin, a college friend from Tennessee, called and told him about Pizza Fusion.  Goodman researched the company online, was impressed by the business model and came up to New Jersey to be part of the first New Jersey LEED certified restaurant, as well as area developer along with Jeff. A third partner in the Ridgewood, New Jersey restaurant, is Jeff’s brother, Nick Morin.  An accountant by day, Nick relates that he came to Pizza Fusion through a long-standing desire to be part of the restaurant industry.  He was impressed by the business model but emphasizes that he was not 100% sold “until I tasted the food – a great concept is one thing – but the food had to be great.  And it is.”

Is the upfront cost associated with creating a LEED restaurant worth it?  “Absolutely,” says Goodman.  “The upfront costs are more than made up for in the long run.”  As one example, he points to the fact that the building is so well insulated, they have hardly had to use the heat the whole frigid winter.

Green – The Right Thing To Do

Pizza Fusion claims “We didn’t go the eco-friendly route to hop on the ‘green’ bandwagon. We chose to because it was the right thing to do. We find it sad that this approach separates us from other businesses. We believe that if every organization operated at the level of integrity that we strive for, the world would be a better place.” They claim that they are unwilling to cut corners and willingly spend more money on organic and fresh ingredients, than “conventional” ingredients might cost.  Their marketing approach seems unwilling to focus on the economics of their decision to go “green.”  But make no mistake.  Pizza Fusion is in business to succeed.  And succeed they have.  In a December 23, 2008 press release, Pizza Fusion announced 700 percent growth in a single year, having started 2008 with 2 restaurants and ending the year with 16 restaurants open in 8 states, as well as an additional 75 restaurants in development.  All this growth in 2008, a year marked by economic decline and bankruptcies.

Put simply, Pizza Fusion has certainly set itself apart from other restaurants, and in doing so has set a standard for ”greening” the restaurant industry – and other industries as well – profitably.

By Amy K. Impellizzeri