Florida-based Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza has been ranked among the country's most dynamic chain restaurants, with locations opening as far north as Pittsburgh and Darien, Connecticut. So it should come as little surprise that the company's Pompano Beach-based management has secured a $25 million investment in Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Inc. GE Capital, Franchise Finance provided the support for the Quilvest Group.
The investment will finance a nationwide expansion of the pizza chain. GE Capital, Franchise Finance is among the leading lenders for the franchise finance markets, reports Business Wire.
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza opened on Federal Highway in Fort
Lauderdale in 2002 and expanded to 32 locations in Florida, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. It was an offshoot of Anthony's Runway 84, a full-service Italian restaurant Anthony opened with his father in 1982.
Anthony's Coal Fired was the first restaurant group in the region to revive the coal oven. With so many transplanted New Yorkers down here, residents were wistful for the ovens that deliver some of the city's best pies, such as those at Lombardi's. Until 2002, Lombardi's had been one of the few restaurants in
the Northeast operating with a coal-fired oven, installed
in the restaurant in 1905.
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza took advantage of this preference as well as the fact that Florida does not have laws in place preventing the installation and use of coal ovens. "Plus," said
Anthony's partner Deborah Mozzicato, "We use anthracite,"
cited as the cleanest-burning coals. Still, ashes have to be removed
twice a day, the biproduct of a 900-degree oven -- about 200
degrees hotter than a wood-burning one.
The revival of coal ovens has gained momentum since, with folks such as Adam Kuban over on Slice chronicling the rise of coal-oven pizza nationwide.
Owner Anthony Bruno was not available for comment when Clean Plate Charlie called the Pompano corporate office this afternoon.
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