Article
Mountain Mike's redesign addresses pandemic's peak challenges
The pandemic has hurled obstacles at many strong dine-in brands, including Mountain Mike's, but the pizza brand has dodged them by rolling out a redesign focused more on to-go options.
July 22, 2020 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group
California's Mountain Mike's took one giant hiking boot-clad footstep into the pizza future this week when it opened its first redesigned store in Costa Mesa, California. Complete with the elements that its leaders expect to push the company through the pandemic into what may be a future focused less on the dine-in experience, the new design boasts more room for the delivery pickup and carryout.
Carol DeNembo, vice president of Marketing at Mountain Mike's, said the plans to increase accommodations for delivery channels were in the works well before COVID-19 became a reality in the U.S., however.
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| The brand's new design features natural wood. (Photo: Provided) |
"We didn't change the design in response to the pandemic, however when COVID-19 hit, we acted fast to create an in-store kit to help our franchisees communicate the health and safety practices we've implemented to give our guests peace of mind when dining at Mountain Mike's," she said in an interview with Pizza Marketplace.
"Along with creating a family-friendly dine-in environment, our interior design elements also prioritized our delivery and to-go lines of business. We're fortunate because a number of initiatives we were working on as a brand with a heightened focus on delivery, pickup and digital ordering, were already in progress when the crisis started. Consumer needs shifted right to where the momentum was already taking us."
The look
The redesign features natural wood finishes, light colors and mountain-climbing motifs. The 2,740-square-foot store, which sits on the border of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, has an arcade zone, two outdoor patios, flexible seating, a rounded bar top with 10 beers on tap and several big-screen TVs.
Contemporary design elements include exposed wood and shiplap, improved light fixtures, mountain-scape murals and local accents such as a nostalgic map of Newport-Mesa. In fact, one of the store's quirkier features is turning out to be a favorite with those inside and outside of the brand's staff.
"Our new design stays true to our deep roots in the West and the heritage of our brand while modernizing the experience for the next generation of families and sports fans," DeNembo said of the design. "I love the adventurous twist inspired by the great outdoors and the beautiful mountain-scapes, which balances nicely with the playful décor, right down to the hiking figures displayed on the bathroom doors.
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| Mountains are everywhere in the new store in Costa Mesa. (Photo: Provided) |
"I also think the functionality is brilliant as the space was designed to be flexible with movable partitions to create semi-private space for parties."
Making space accommodations for an uncertain dine-in future that can float with consumers preferences, like Mountain Mike's movable partitions, is another way brands are making plans that can be easily reworked to fit consumers' druthers going forward.
The company said that the decision to plant deeper roots in Orange County was spearheaded by its principal owners and co-CEOs, Chris Britt and Ed St. Geme. In fact, the Newport-Mesa restaurant that just opened is just a few miles away from the brand's Franchise Support Center in Newport Beach. That center also serves as Mountain Mike's operational headquarters and the training ground for the executive and franchise support team and new franchisees.
Mountain Mike's had been mostly a Northern California casual dining pizza mainstay for the past 40-plus years, but Britt and St. Geme said it has strong legs to grow in Southern California as well.
"My team is ready and eager to meet our new guests and show them what Mountain Mike's is all about!" Yvette Pettit, Mountain Mike's franchisee, told Pizza Marketplace.
The Costa Mesa location marks the brand's second location in Orange County (aside from one in Lake Forest) and another location will open later this summer in Huntington Beach.
Mountain Mike's has more than 200 locations in California, Oregon and Utah.
About S.A. Whitehead
Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.
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