Branson restaurateurs add pizza franchise

With four restaurants already in its management portfolio, Branson-based Fogle Enterprises Inc. is adding the CiCi's Pizza franchise to the mix.

Owners Nolan and Babette Fogle signed a franchise agreement with the Coppell, Texas-based brand of buffet-style pizza, pasta, salad and desserts, according to a news release. By early spring, Fogle Enterprises is slated to open the first CiC's Pizza in Branson at 3460 W. Highway 76, across the strip from White Water. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In the Branson market, The Fogles operate The Great American Steak and Chicken House, The Baldknobbers Restaurant, The Fall Creek Steak and Catfish House, and The Burger Shack. They also are building Pasghetti’s Italian Restaurant next to Starlite Theatre, designed with a 15-foot meatball stuck to the end of a 50-foot fork outside the entrance.

“With more than 20 years of restaurant experience in this area, we are thrilled to be able to expand our business, bring more affordable dining options to the area and create about 50 jobs for local residents,” Nolan Fogle said in the release.

With one restaurant in Springfield, CiCi's Pizza operates nearly 500 restaurants across 33 states. According to its website, the company has developed financing and incentive programs to address the economic and lending climate, while continuing to grow the brand. Through its Franchisee Investment Program, CiCi's has committed $5 million to help cover startup costs for qualified multiunit franchisees agreeing to open two or more restaurants within five years. The company also has committed $100,000 of equity per restaurant against the franchisee's $125,000 investment and, through its Patriot Program, waived the roughly $30,000 franchise fee for veterans.

In its five-year growth plan, CiCi's officials have said they're exploring growth potential internationally, as well as in nontraditional venues such as airports, casinos, military bases and universities.[[In-content Ad]]