Franchising

Mici Italian inks 30-unit deal with Smashburger franchisee

Provided

April 7, 2022

Mici Italian, a Denver-based fast casual restaurant is coming on strong in Phoenix, Arizona, signing a 30-unit deal with Lucas Farnham, who owns several Black Bear Diner and Smashburger locations.

"I'm thrilled to not only be one of the first franchisees for the brand but to own all the franchise rights for the Phoenix market," Farnham said in the release. "It's a phenomenal restaurant town that will embrace this concept and help it grow."

Farnham has signed three leases in Gilbert, Queen Creek and Verrado and is scouting the area for future locations. Construction has begun on the Gilbert space, which should open its doors this spring, and construction on the Queen Creek location will start in May.

Farnham met Mici Italian CEO Elliot Schiffer when Schiffer was SVP at Smashburger.

"When he left the burger concept for Mici Italian I knew it had to be something special," Farnham said in the release. "He is one of the smartest people in the restaurant industry and he left a nationally recognized brand to join Founder Jeff Miceli in his emerging concept, so I knew he had a vision. I consistently kept up with what he was doing in the three years after he left Smashburger to get Mici Italian ready for franchising. As soon as I saw the concept he had perfected, I told him I wanted to be the first franchisee."

Schiffer is happy to have Farnham on board and at the helm of this big operation.

"Our multi-unit agreements will allow us to catch fire in record time," he said in the release. "It's important for us to target the right franchisees, and our large-scale investors have brought quality insights to the table that will allow us to keep growing the brand responsibility."