Mellow Mushroom

Mellow Mushroom/Home Grown Industries, Inc.

Founded	1974
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Key people	Marc Weinstein, Mike Nicholson, Rocky Reeves Founders Buddy Finethy art innovator industry = Restaurant Franchise
Products	Pizza, calzones, hoagies, salads, beer
Website	mellowmushroom.com

Mellow Mushroom is a pizzeria that started in Atlanta, Georgia and operates as a restaurant franchise with over 100 locations nationwide.

Mellow Mushroom specializes in pizza, but also serves calzones, hoagies, salads, and appetizers. Pizza is sold in three sizes, but slices are available during lunch and late night at some locations. Some Mellow Mushrooms deliver; those that do not have a pick-up option. They often feature a large selection of beer, typically 20-40 beers on draft and 50 or more bottles. Each store is decorated differently and sometimes there is a unifying theme to the artwork. ^[1] Tie-dye and colorful mushrooms are a common theme for locations. Some stores occasionally feature live music, trivia competitions, or bingo. Many of the locations participate in a beer-purchase loyalty program. The franchise aims to give customers a "relaxing yet eclectic dining experience" with "easygoing atmosphere and funky decor" Mellow Mushroom also sells branded merchandise and clothing on their website and at stores.

History

The Mellow Mushroom located on Mississippi Highway 25 in Flowood, Mississippi.

Mellow Mushroom was started by two Georgia Tech roommates in the early 1970s. They were soon joined by a student from the University of Georgia.^[2]

The first location is no longer there, but was located near the Georgia Tech campus on Spring Street in Atlanta, GA. There are several dozen locations operating in Atlanta, and elsewhere in Georgia, Colorado, Louisiana, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Arizona, Ohio, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia. Most stores are within the Southern United States, with a high concentration of them in college towns.

Mellow Mushroom started to sell franchises in 1985. The first Mellow Mushroom to be located outside of Atlanta was in Athens, Georgia, near the University of Georgia. That store renovated an old Wendy's and was open until 2006. In the summer of 2007, a new Mellow Mushroom opened in Athens on Clayton Street.

Beginning in 2000, the Mellow Mushroom has expanded outside of college markets to both urban areas such as Jacksonville and Denver Metropolitan Area. In 2010, the following locations have opened: Johnson City, TN,^[3] Germantown, TN, Suwanee, GA, Pigeon Forge, TN, Denver, CO, Hickory, NC, Charlotte, NC, and Wilder, KY. As of January 2011, the following locations have opened: Rome, GA, Southern Pines, NC, a second location in Charleston, SC, Tempe, AZ, Dublin, OH, Florence, SC and Gatlinburg, TN. By the end of 2011, there will be locations in Bristol, VA, Rogers, AR, Arlington, TX, Portland, OR, Cary, NC, Washington, DC, Greenville, NC Fayetteville, NC and Lexington, SC.

Logo

The visual Identity of Mellow Mushroom Pizza was defined during their early franchising phase by Atlanta artist Buddy Finethy. Finethy created and refined the signature cast of characters that identified the chain. The cast includes "Mel O. Mushroom", his ace sidekick "Dude Shroomington", psychedelic sorcerer "The Wizard", "Melody Mushroom" and the smaller shrooms known as "The Funguys"- Por, Toe and Bello. Finethy also helped refine and stratify the influences that informed the Mellow Mushroom aesthetic.

References

1. ^ Billotto, Heidi. Mellow Mushroom Restaurant. WSOC TV. 11 June 2003.
2. ^ "About Us". Mellow Mushroom. Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20071018035309/http://www.mellowmushroom.com/aboutus.html. Retrieved 2007-10-24. 
3. ^ http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?ID=73245

www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g29196-d466225-r8516532

External links

• Mellow Mushroom Website
• Mellow Mushroom Franchising Site
• Mellow Mushroom Beer Club
• Mellow Gear
• Mellow Jobs