Stoner’s Pizza Joint
Georgia, South Carolina, Florida; 7 units
Stoner’s, which started in 2013, was acquired in 2017 by multiconcept operations group HHI Hospitality. “We thought it could be a strong brand moving forward, with just the general paradigm shifts across the U.S. around marijuana,” Bergelt says. “It’s a green space for us.”
Bergelt and team are working to rebrand the concept, with an eye toward targeting millennials and college campuses. Stoner’s is currently signing franchise agreements and is at work on CBD-infused oils and pizza sauces to add to its menu. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a component of marijuana that many believe offers health benefits without providing the drug’s physical high. “Everything is on fire for anything within the sphere of marijuana culture,” Bergelt says.
The chain, which gets half its revenue from delivery, is focusing on tech to ease operations, using artificial intelligence to streamline drivers within its own delivery fleet. “The hospitality piece would get lost through Uber or a Postmates driver,” he says.
The Stoner’s Pizza Joint app delivers messages to customers through the entire order, from the point of sale to pizza preparation to delivery. The process is adaptive, though, and based on whether consumers engage with the messages. “We’ve put a lot of effort into making you feel really good about that pizza by the time it’s handed off to you,” Bergelt said.