Cottage Inn Pizza eyes Dayton Ohio for restaurant expansion

An Ann Arbor-based pizza chain that has already spread as far south into Ohio as Columbus has targeted the Dayton area for potential expansion.

Cottage Inn Pizza — which opened its first restaurant in 1948 and which now operates more than 50 restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and China — recently announced an aggressive growth plan, and "is looking at Dayton as a priority region," a Cottage Inn spokeswoman said. The chain operates locations in the Toledo and Columbus areas.

The Midwest expansion coincides with efforts to grow internationally, with up to 200 locations projected to open in China over the next 15 years, starting with its first restaurant already open in Qingdao. Cottage Inn’s menu offers 33 different styles of pizza, subs, salads and hot wings.

“We’re already Michigan’s favorite gourmet pizza restaurant, and now we’re looking forward to making our brand the go-to option for customers in Ohio and beyond,” Deborah Masse, senior vice president at Cottage Inn Pizza, said in a release.

The chain is seeking franchisees in the Dayton area. The investment required to open a Cottage Inn Pizza franchise location is between $200,000 and $350,000, which includes the initial franchise fee that grants a license to run a business under the Cottage Inn Pizza name.

Cottage Inn requires a minimum net worth of $200,000 and a minimum of $250,000 in secured funds in the form of liquid assets or a combination of liquid assets and financing, according to cottageinnfranchise.com.

The Dayton area has become a hotbed of pizza competition in recent years. In the last 18 months, “fast-casual” pizza chains such as Kettering-based Rapid Fired Pizza, Cleveland-based PizzaFire, and Seattle-based MOD Pizza have opened or are about to open restaurants in the region.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.