Pizza Fusion Brings Organic, Eco-Friendly Restaurant Service to Temecula

By: Pizza Fusion | 5 Shares 315 Reads

America's most environmentally-friendly restaurant brings organic pizza to Temecula

November 11, 2008 // Franchising.com // Temecula, Calif., - Pizza Fusion (www.pizzafusion.com), pioneer of the environmental and organic restaurant movements, recently opened in Temecula in the Trader Joe's shopping center at 40695 Winchester Road, #C1, Temecula, CA 92591. Upon receiving certification, Pizza Fusion will be the first organic certified restaurant in the area. Temecula is the second Pizza Fusion to open in California after the recent opening of Pizza Fusion San Diego. Pizza Fusion currently has restaurants in development in Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo, Clovis, and Palo Alto. Entrepreneurial duo Nima and Carrie Noorzad are the franchisees behind Pizza Fusion's new Temecula location.

"Living an organic, socially conscious lifestyle ourselves, Pizza Fusion embraces everything we believe in," Nima explains. "After getting frustrated with having to sacrifice our organic diets whenever we ate out, Carrie and I decided we were going to open an organic restaurant. Our research led us to Pizza Fusion where we fell in love with their culture and core values. When we flew down to taste test their delicious organic pizza, we realized this was the concept Temecula has been craving. We're thrilled to introduce Temecula to Pizza Fusion."

Pizza Fusion, whose motto is 'Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time,' practices an eco-friendly approach to their entire existence, including their restaurants' build-out, service and overall operations. Through building all of their restaurants to LEED certification standards, delivering their food in company owned hybrid vehicles, and offsetting 100% of their power consumption with the purchase of renewable energy certificates (among many other things), Pizza Fusion is setting the standard for sustainable restaurant practices as the most eco-friendly restaurant in America.

Pizza Fusion is considering likeminded franchisee candidates to open 60 planned locations throughout California over the next five years. Currently, the company has over 75 restaurants opening in 15 states across the U.S.

"We're very excited to open our second location in California," Vaughan Lazar, CEO and co-founder of Pizza Fusion, continues. "I believe our tasty organic pizzas and sustainable approach to restaurant service will be warmly accepted by Temecula residents. We're proud to have Nima as a part of our family. We know he will represent Pizza Fusion well while introducing West Coast residents to a more delicious means of supporting the environment."

In the United States, restaurants are the top electricity consumer among retail businesses, accounting for 33% of the total consumption. Each restaurant produces an average of 50,000 pounds of waste per year. Pizza Fusion's LEED certified restaurants reduce water waste by 40 percent and electricity consumption by 20 percent annually. The chain's LEED certified restaurants feature a number of unique, eco-efficient products, techniques and designs, including eliminating the use of water heaters and air heating units by recycling heat from their ovens to heat the water in the restaurants. Pizza Fusion restaurants' other eco-elements include countertops made from 100% recycled detergent bottles, 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, seat cushions made with soybean oil, furniture made from reclaimed wood and much more – all the way down to the 100 percent post consumer toilet paper in their bathrooms.

Nima and Carrie are happily married with two children and another on the way. The two have lived in Temecula for the last three years. With a background in graphic and web design, the two have opened numerous web based stores, including an organic toy store for children - www.OrganicToyBox.com. Carrie most recently started a Holistic Moms chapter in the area. Nima and Carrie have also been involved with the Pennypickle's Go Organic Day (http://www.pennypickles.org/events.htm), designed to help families discover the science and philosophy behind organic and natural foods.

About Pizza Fusion

Founded in the best interest of the individual and the environment, Pizza Fusion combines a fresh, organic menu with an industry-leading environmental approach to restaurant service in chic dining destinations built to LEED certification standards. Pizza Fusion specializes in a full-service approach to gourmet pizza, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, desserts, and organic beers and wines, all in their purest form - untainted by artificial additives, such as pesticides, preservatives, antibiotics and hormones. With numerous franchises opening across the U.S., Pizza Fusion is pioneering the organic and environmental restaurant movement as the most eco-friendly restaurant in America. For additional information, visit: www.pizzafusion.com.

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