Pizza Fusion Bringing Earth Friendly Restaurant Service to Fresno Area

By: Pizza Fusion | 3 Shares 456 Reads

Socially responsible restaurant chain to open organic beer and wine bar at new Clovis, Calif. location

July 08, 2008 // Franchising.com // Clovis, Calif., – Pizza Fusion (www.pizzafusion.com), America's most environmentally friendly restaurant, will open their third location in California this October in Clovis at 1785 Herndon Ave, Suite 102; following the opening of their San Diego and Temecula restaurants. Located conveniently off the 168 freeway at the corner of Fowler and Herndon, Pizza Fusion Clovis will feature an eco-bar with organic beer on tap and a broad selection of both organic and local California wines. Mike and Deborah Parisi are the entrepreneurs behind Pizza Fusion's new Clovis location.

"Pizza Fusion's socially conscious approach to business is what attracted us to their restaurant concept, but their great tasting food is what convinced us that this was the venture for us," Mike explains. "With parents raised in Italy and having grown up spending summers in Puglia, I'm very accustomed to what true quality pizza is. Pizza Fusion's organic pies certainly are a testament to their commitment to quality and will make an excellent addition to the Fresno area's impressive restaurant portfolio. We're looking forward to introducing the socially conscious residents of Fresno and Clovis to Pizza Fusion's industry leading eco-friendly restaurant service and delicious organic menu."

Pizza Fusion, whose motto is 'Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time,' serves a gourmet, organic menu of pizza, ciabatta sandwiches, wraps, desserts, beer and wine. They also offer health conscious alternatives for people with selective diets and food allergies, including gluten-free, vegan and lactose-free options. Taking the lead in the environmentally sustainable restaurant sector, Pizza Fusion practices an eco-friendly approach to their entire existence, including their restaurants' build-out, service and overall operations. Currently, the company has over 75 restaurants built to LEED certification standards opening in 15 states around the country, from California to New Jersey.

"We're thrilled to be expanding our West Coast presence and furthering our reach in America's socially conscious stomping ground," Vaughan Lazar, co-founder and CEO of Pizza Fusion, explains. "As California continues to embrace our socially responsible approach to service and demand the quality and taste of handcrafted, organic food, we aim to exceed their expectations while setting the standard for 'green' business practices as the most environmentally sustainable restaurant in America. Furthermore, we're very proud to welcome Mike and Deborah into the Pizza Fusion family and partner with them in our pursuit to move the restaurant sector toward more socially responsible practices."

Pizza Fusion is the only restaurant chain in the world to build all their restaurants to LEED certification standards. Their restaurants feature a number of unique, eco-efficient products, techniques and designs, such as eliminating the need for water heaters by reusing waste heat from their ovens to warm their water. Other eco-friendly elements and initiatives include using only energy star certified appliances whenever possible, countertops made from glass bottles recovered from their current locations, organic cotton employee uniforms, bamboo flooring, 30% recaptured industrial concrete, ceiling panels made from 74% recycled aluminum cans and 24% post industrial metals, USG Gypsum Board made from pre-used drywall, insulation made from recycled blue jeans, ceiling baffles made from recycled composite board, low voltage and low heat lighting, furniture made from reclaimed wood, 100 percent post consumer paper towels and toilet paper, and much more. Additionally, Pizza Fusion delivers all their food in company owned hybrid vehicles and offsets 100 percent of their power consumption with the purchase of green-e certified renewable wind energy certificates.

Mike and Deborah have lived in the Fresno area for more than 15 years each. Prior to Pizza Fusion, Mike has been heavily involved in television sales and marketing for the last 17 years; most recently as General Sales Manager for Comcast Spotlight in Fresno. Deborah is a dedicated mother of two daughters and today, devotes much of her time to volunteering at their daughters' school, including running the school's soccer program and playing an integral part of the school's various fundraising activities.

About Pizza Fusion

Founded in the best interest of society and the planet, Pizza Fusion combines an eclectic, organic menu with an industry-leading environmental approach to restaurant service in chic LEED certified dining destinations. Pizza Fusion, whose motto is 'saving the Earth, one pizza at a time,' specializes in gourmet pizzas, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, desserts, beers, wines and more in their purest form - untainted by artificial additives, such as pesticides, preservatives, antibiotics and hormones. Additionally, Pizza Fusion caters to the needs of selective diets with gluten-free, vegan, casein-free and lactose-free menu items. With more than 75 locations already in development in 15 states since the launch of their franchise program in 2007, Pizza Fusion is well on its way to redefining the restaurant industry. For additional information, visit: www.pizzafusion.com.

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