The architects at KOMA know that the take-home pizza market is still growing – and not just because of their personal appetites.
Since 2006, Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates has helped Little Caesar’s franchisees open fourteen new stores in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota, with three more in progress.
New stores in St. Louis Park, Woodbury and Richfield are expected to open later this year.
KOMA utilizes the expertise of their project managers, designers and architects to produce the permit and construction documents for the Little Caesars projects. Franchise owners work with the corporate office of Little Caesars to establish floor layouts and equipment lists, and KOMA takes care of the construction documents and permits for the state of Minnesota. “It’s our job to make sure everything is legal and abides by state standards,” says project manager Jon LeNoble.
“Our relationship with the team from Little Ceasar’s came about due to our long-standing relationship with a metro-area contractor, J.L. Sullivan Construction,” explains Jon. “We work hard to make sure the contractors we work with are well served, and the fact that we work well with them made Little Caesar’s more comfortable entering into a relationship with us. We go the extra mile to ensure open dialogue and constant communication with all our clients. This approach leads to close, collaborative working relationships.”
Local franchise owner Mike McGuire agrees. “We’ve got a great Development team here in the Twin Cities between J.L. Sullivan Construction and KOMA. They’ve helped open the majority of our stores, including the newest location in St. Louis Park on the corner of Louisiana and Cedar Lake Road, scheduled to open the first week of March. Little Caesars has really taken off in the last couple of years and we’re looking to continue to expand our market share with the addition of at least 4 – 6 additional stores this year and even more in years to come.”
“The pizza industry is still growing,” says Jon, “and we look forward to helping more franchisee owners open new stores in the coming years.” Little Caesars, famous for their “Hot N Ready” no-wait pizza service, was founded in 1959 and is estimated to be the fourth-largest pizza chain in the United States with over 2,000 stores nationwide. Twenty-five of those stores are in the Twin Cities metro area.