Pizzas Account for Big Slice of Franchiser Pie

Family and food go together, and that’s especially true for Ameci Pizza & Pasta, No. 7 on the Business Journal’s annual list of Franchisers. 

A few years ago, four brothers – Stephen Ekblad, 27; Tim Ekblad, 26; Nick Ekblad, 25; and Chris Ekblad, 24 – began operating Ameci franchises in Camarillo and Santa Paula while in their early 20s after years of pizza-making experience as teenagers.

The Ekblad brothers’ journey as entrepreneurs began when the owner of the Ameci in Newbury Park hired Nick at age 19. Within several months, Nick was promoted to manager and he brought his brothers on board as employees.

“All four of us brothers were working at the Ameci in Newbury Park,” Steve Ekblad said.

An opportunity for ownership arose when the brother of the Newbury Park Ameci owner decided to sell an outlet in Camarillo. 

The owner mentored Nick Ekblad on the company’s nine-step process to obtaining a franchise. The brothers pooled their financial resources while also receiving help from investors in purchasing the Camarillo location.

Initial investment for an Ameci franchise ranges from $250,000 to $295,000 and there is a 6 percent royalty fee that must be made annually to the company, which is based in Canoga Park. Prospective franchisees must also pass an interview to determine if the applicant is a good fit.

The Ekblad brothers began running the Ameci in Camarillo in December 2018. In December 2019, they began operating the Ameci in Santa Paula.

Both restaurants are in Ventura County, where Steve Ekblad majored in business at California Lutheran University.

The Ekblads have 16 employees in Camarillo and 10 in Santa Paula, a reflection of the business they’re doing at both locations.

“Camarillo is busier, there’s more population here,” Steve Ekblad said. “In Santa Paula, they’re kind of developing now over the next five years. It’s more of a growth investment.”

Steve Ekblad alluded to residential real estate developments such as the Harvest at Limoneria, which in the next few years will add 1,500 new homes in Santa Paula.

In the meantime, business at their pizzerias has been going well.

“We’ve been learning a lot of new stuff,” he said. “Every day is a new opportunity to grow. We’ve lucky.”

“They got so much publicity and support that led to the money from investors so they opened in Santa Paula and they’re doing well,” said Ameci President Nick Andrisano. “They happen to be the youngest franchisees in the company. They all work very hard.”

As franchisees, the Ekblads can deviate in small ways from the Ameci menu. Additions to the Ameci menu at their shops include Hot Cheetos pizza and Hot Cheetos wings, and pizzas with vegan cheese, gluten-free crust and cauliflower crust.

Profitable pie

Pizzerias account for much of the Business Journal’s Franchisers list, with Ameci at No. 7, followed by Glendale-headquartered Pizza Man (No. 9), Calabasas-based Pizza Studio ranking at No. 10, 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen (No. 11), Woodland Hills-based Midici (No. 12) and Westlake Village’s Pizza Rev (No. 13).

Ameci Pizza and Pasta has 38 locations across Southern California. Six of them are corporate stores and the rest are franchises.

The first Ameci Pizza and Pasta opened in 1994 in West Hills at 23709 Vanowen St.

“My partner and I had a couple of stores under our belt. I spoke to our third associate and we started franchising,” said Andrisano, who co-founded Ameci with Angelo Falato.

The franchises are relatively local although for a short time, they expanded beyond California.

“We had one in Arizona, one in Las Vegas and one in Boise, Idaho in the 1990s,” Andrisano said. However, all of the out-of-state locations have since shuttered. 

“All three owners went through divorces,” he said.

Franchise sales are mostly done by word of mouth and the brand has been expanding gradually.

“We rather have 40 units that all do well,” Andrisano said. “I’m not looking to take over the world.”

Andrisano said that the pandemic hasn’t greatly impacted the Ameci branches.

“The instore business hurt but deliveries picked up,” he said. “Across the board, it didn’t hurt that much.”

Steve Ekblad confirmed that COVID actually helped business at his Camarillo and Santa Paula locations.

“We were able to keep our business open,” he said. “Sales actually increased because people have been taking out. Thankfully, we were able to exceed expectations.”

For the future, Steve Ekblad said he and his brothers may want to take on a third Ameci.

“Our hands are kind of full, but we’re always looking for the next one,” he explained. “Really, we’re looking for existing stores.”