Husband and wife team Scott and Ally Svenson are entrepreneurs at heart. In 1994, the Svensons founded Seattle Coffee Company in the United Kingdom after discovering a void in the gourmet coffee offerings. The couple went on to open 65 shops under that name and were eventually bought out by Starbucks.
Nearly two decades later, the Bellevue High School sweethearts are at it again. This time, they’ve brought their entrepreneurial spirit closer to home with a opening of the second location of MOD Pizza in downtown Bellevue. The original MOD Pizza is located at Sixth and University in Seattle and caters primarily to the weekday lunch crowd.
The new Bellevue MOD marks the second opening in the series of made-on-demand pizza locations. The family-friendly quick-serve restaurant features a retro feel and is becoming known for its fun atmosphere, quality product and low price point.
Since its opening in late January, a line of high school students can often be spotted at lunchtime stretching out the front door.
The convenience of a large, 775-degree Earthstone oven keeps the line moving quickly. A single MOD’s individual 11′ thin crust pizza cooks in as little as three and a half minutes and the oven can hold up to 25 pizzas at one time.
“One of the big inspirations behind MOD was that we saw an opportunity where value and quality still remained important to people,” Scott Svenson explained. “We wanted to create a product that was made for you, but that had an artisan quality to it and was healthy. Our goal was to provide all those things in a cool and unique environment with a good price point.”
MOD’s pizzas are made on demand using a signature handmade dough and red sauce which is made fresh daily. The menu includes 10 selections including the Caspian (mozzarella, gorgonzola, barbeque chicken, barbeque sauce, sliced red onions), the Maddox (signature red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mild italian sausage and crumbled meatballs), and Lucy Sunshine (mozzarella, parmesan, artichokes, garlic, w/dollops of their signature red sauce) and more. There are 20 display toppings in all and customers are welcome to customize their pizza, all while remaining at the same price point of $5.88. MOD also offers salads, hand-spun shakes, beer, wine, pizza knots and old fashioned Ding Dongs.
“We wanted to hit home and really differentiate ourselves from the gourmet pizza restaurants. We want people to be able to bring family here without breaking the bank,” Ally Svenson said. “It’s healthier than typical pizza joints and our dough and sauce is homemade. It’s important to me that my kids are eating pizza sauce that is loaded with basil and garlic and is low in sodium. It really embodies our slogan which is – simply food for complex times.”
The Svensons wanted to do for pizza what Chipotle Mexican Grill did for mexican food.
“We are so intrigued and impressed with what Chipotle did for Mexican food. When we are in a big hurry or in the mood for something quick and easy, we head to Chipotle. The food is good, the price point is easy to justify and the atmosphere is fun,” Ally Svenson said. “They really nailed an imported niche in the community especially when it comes to today’s economy. It’s fast and casual, yet stylish. It’s everything we want MOD to be.”
Moving forward with the MOD concept, the Svensons brought together a team of notable Seattle entrepreneurs including Chris Schultz, previously of Starbucks, and Michael Klebeck of Top Pot Doughnuts. They also formed a group of advisors including Paul Twohig of Starbucks, Jim Alling of T-Mobile USA and Lindsey Schwartz of Schwartz Brothers Restaurants.
“We brought Chris (Schultz) on board as our operational manager for the current MODs and future openings. He has invaluable knowledge and experience from his years at Starbucks and he is an important piece to this puzzle. On the same note, we have known Michael (Klebeck) for a long time and when this opportunity came up, we just love his design esthetics so much, the retro style of cool, we asked him to join our team.”
MOD Pizza is set to open a third location in the University District this coming spring, catering primarily to the college crowd.
“With each opening and location, we are filling a niche for that particular customer base,” Ally Svenson said. “For Bellevue, we wanted to create a fun and hip spot that would encourage family and family dining in a casual setting. I think we’ve nailed it.”
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.
MOD Pizza is located at 317 Bellevue Way NE, 206-682-3278, www.modsuperfast.com.
