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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza Franchise

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom is a fast-casual pizza franchise built around artisan, wood-fired pizzas made with fresh, never-frozen ingredients and an open-kitchen format. Dough is made in-house using a multi-day fermentation, sauces and toppings are prepared daily, and pizzas bake in about 90 seconds in high-temperature ovens.

The concept traces back to the Pi Wood-Fired Pizza restaurant opened in 2009 by Linda Black, who later partnered with co-founder Matt Mongoven to develop a repeatable franchise model. The Smokin’ Oak trade name launched and franchising began in 2016, with first locations in Iowa, Colorado and Nebraska. The brand remains founder-led, with no outside parent company.

A defining feature is the self-pour taproom wall, added in 2020: guests use an RFID bracelet to pour beer, wine and cocktails by the ounce, creating a second revenue stream alongside food. The brand offers flexible formats including standard restaurants, taproom units, takeout and delivery, and food trucks. It is a small, emerging US network still early in its growth.

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Why buy a Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza Franchise?

The case to buy a Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza franchise rests on a differentiated guest experience in a large, resilient category. The brand pairs made-to-order wood-fired pizza with a self-pour taproom, a combination that broadens the menu, lifts average check and adds beverage revenue without proportional labour. The open-kitchen, never-frozen positioning gives owners a quality story that stands apart from volume-led delivery chains.

Flexible formats let an operator match a site to its market, and the founder-led team provides hands-on support drawn from the original restaurant’s operating playbook. As an emerging brand, early units may sit in less-saturated territories with room to build local share.

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      2009

    • Franchising Since

      2016

    • New Startup Cost

      $448,745 – $891,205

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $49,500

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $15,000

      greater of $15,000 or 50% Initial Franchise Fee

    • Royalty Fee

      6%

      of Net Sales

    • Marketing Fee

      2%

      of Net Sales

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      7

    • New Units Opened *

      1

    • Units Transferred *

      1

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      $981,669

    * Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Incoming owners receive a structured onboarding that includes 20 hours of classroom training and 73 hours of on-the-job training, preceded by a Discovery Day visit to an operating Smokin' Oak location. On-site support is provided through launch, and the franchisor maintains an ongoing franchise intranet housing operational manuals, training materials and marketing resources, backed by field operations support, owner coaching and corporate marketing assistance. Resale buyers should confirm with Smokin' Oak what transfer training and intranet access are provided to incoming owners and existing staff when ownership changes.

  2. Ideal Owner

    No prior restaurant experience is required, as the franchisor provides systems and training. The model suits hands-on, hospitality-minded operators who enjoy food quality, team management and local community engagement, and who are comfortable overseeing kitchen operations, a taproom and front-of-house staff. Owners can run a single store or pursue multi-unit development, and semi-absentee ownership is possible with a strong manager in place. Candidates who value operational consistency and an experiential guest experience tend to fit the brand best.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Smokin' Oak Wood-Fired Pizza was ranked third in the Emerging Brand category at the 2023 Pizza Marketplace Awards, recognition tied to its growth and its distinctive wood-fired-and-taproom format. The brand has also drawn trade-press coverage in outlets such as Pizza Marketplace, Nation's Restaurant News and 1851 Franchise for its self-pour concept and expansion. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition should be weighed alongside the specific territory's local reviews, guest base and community visibility.

  4. Industry / Market

    The US pizza market generates roughly $46 billion in annual sales and remains one of the most consistent segments in foodservice: about 93% of Americans eat pizza monthly and 13% eat it daily. Fast-casual and experiential concepts emphasising fresh, made-to-order food are taking share from traditional delivery models, while beverage attach adds value, as around 42% of drinking-age adults order alcohol with a casual-dining meal. For resale buyers, steady category demand supports a unit, though local competition and site quality drive individual performance.

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