Business Profile: Pieology

– Photos by Amelia Favela

By Amelia Favela

Pieology is a fast-casual restaurant where customers can customize their own artisan-style pizzas. Carl Chang established the franchise in 2011, with its first franchisee in 2013 opened by Stanley Poon, James Poon, George Li, Mark Wong, and Tiann Wong. The five partners have since opened seven more locations with the Monrovia Pieology being their eighth. Each location offers the experience of crafting your own pizza with house-made dough and more than 40 fresh toppings.

The first franchisee came to life after Stanley Poon, his brother James, and Li partnered with Mr. and Mrs. Wong to open their first location in City of Industry during the summer of 2013. With each member excelling in his or her own area of expertise, the group managed to establish several more popular locations throughout southern California. “We all had very ambitious goals to open a lot of stores really quickly … I couldn’t have seen it done without each and every one of us,” said Stanley. Their most recent location in Monrovia is a special honor to both Poon brothers and Li due to the fact they all grew up in the neighboring city of Arcadia. As Arcadia high school graduates, the three co-owners look forward to offering the nearby communities a casual hangout where customers can customize their own favorite pizza.

– Photos by Amelia Favela

One of the core values of Pieology is to inspire guests of all ages to be creative with the unlimited toppings. The made-to-order artisan pizzas accommodate all customers, as they can choose from gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan ingredients. Employees at Pieology are encouraged to interact with guests to ensure all visitors are aware of the many options, including customizable salads exclusive at the Monrovia location within the San Gabriel Valley.

Another core value of Pieology is to become deeply embedded in each location’s community. In order to do this, the fast-casual restaurant often has fundraisers that promote various types of community growth, such as education.

– Photos by Amelia Favela

Some of the challenges the company faces come with being a fast-growing business. “There are certain growing pains that come with going from a small size company into a mid-size company,” said Stanley. Some of these pains include the selection process of finding the right staff that embodies the core values that Pieology believes in. “Pieology is an experience, so we have to hire the right staff that provides that experience, which so far, we’ve been blessed to find,” he said.

The owners of the Monrovia Pieology hope to replicate the success they’ve been able to obtain throughout their eight stores into further locations. In efforts to always evolve and better themselves, the group looks forward to putting into effect a new interior design known as the 2.0 concept in their next location. “The great art of our group and the business itself is that we’re not afraid to change,” said Stanley Poon.

Visit the Monrovia Pieology at 915 W Huntington Dr. Monrovia, CA 91016 or contact them at (626) 357-6973. www.pieology.com

More from Business