Has M & T Pizza, the Carbones Pizzeria franchisor, ever offered franchises in any other lines of business?
Carbones_Pizzeria Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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We are a Minnesota corporation incorporated on November 4, 1977. Our principal business address is 680 East Seventh Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55106. We do business under our corporate name and as M & T Pizza. We do not do business under any other names. We have been offering franchises since 1977. We have never offered franchises in any other lines of business. Our agents for services of process are listed on Exhibit A.
Parents, Predecessor and Certain Affiliates
We have no parent or predecessor companies required to be disclosed in this disclosure document. The original franchisor of the Carbone's Pizza concept was Carbone & Sons, Inc. This entity ceased franchising activities in 1977 but there are two franchisees who continue to operate under their licenses with Carbone & Sons, Inc.
We have no affiliates that offer franchises in any line of business. Carbone Pizza, Inc., our affiliate, will occasionally sell products to our franchisees. It is also the owner of the original Carbone's Pizza location in St. Paul, Minnesota, which opened in 1954.
Source: Item 1 — THE FRANCHISOR, AND ANY PARENTS, PREDECESSORS AND AFFILIATES (FDD pages 6–7)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Carbones Pizzeria's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, M & T Pizza Incorporated, the franchisor, has been offering franchises since 1977. The FDD specifies that M & T Pizza has never offered franchises in any other lines of business. This indicates that their franchising efforts have been solely focused on Carbones Pizzeria restaurants.
However, the FDD mentions that C&T Pizza LLC, an affiliate of M & T Pizza, offers and sells frozen pizzas to convenience stores and others for resale. They also provide frozen pizzas to franchisees who offer them to sports teams and others who are engaged in fundraising. The affiliate has never offered franchises in any line of business nor has it ever conducted a Carbone's Pizza restaurant.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that the franchisor's experience and expertise are concentrated in the pizza restaurant business. While an affiliate is involved in selling frozen pizzas, neither the franchisor nor its affiliate has experience franchising other types of businesses. This focus could be seen as a benefit, as the franchisor is dedicated to the Carbones Pizzeria concept. However, it also means that the franchisor lacks experience in diversifying its franchise offerings.