page_title: MOD Pizza
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: MOD Pizza / History
caption_attribution_description: The first MOD Pizza location, at Union Square in Seattle, Washington.
context_page_description: MOD Pizza is a fast casual pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. Founded in Seattle, Washington, in 2008, MOD has more than 400 locations in the United States and United Kingdom. MOD is a company that is claimed by its owners to be "more about the people than the pizza" and to focus on paying living wages and providing employees with opportunities to give back to the community.
context_section_description: MOD Pizza was established in 2008 in Seattle, Washington by co-founders Scott and Ally Svenson. The Svensons previously founded Seattle Coffee Company, a successful UK-based coffee company that sold to Starbucks in 1998. Afterwards Scott stayed on as President of Starbucks Europe. The Svensons also helped found Carluccio's Ltd., an Italian restaurant in the UK. After moving back to their hometown of Bellevue, Washington, the Svensons started MOD Pizza after being unable to find fast, affordable healthy meals for their four sons. James Markham, who had previously started pizza parlors in San Diego, California and Shanghai, China, was also a part of the founding team and helped developed the house recipes used by MOD. The restaurant's first location was in Union Square and was followed by additional Seattle locations. 
  By 2010, Markham had left MOD Pizza due to what he later characterized as a dispute in direction with the Svensons. He subsequently started a California-based chain set on MOD's "DIY" pizza concept called Pieology.
  In 2013, the restaurant chain was named one of the United States' "Top 50 Breakout Brands" by Nation's Restaurant News. The same year, it added its first location outside of Washington, with a restaurant at Cedar Hills Crossing shopping center in Beaverton, Oregon.
  By 2014, MOD Pizza had 31 locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas. The same year the company secured $15 million in private investment. Notable backers included Dunkin' Donuts president Paul Twohig and TOMS Shoes Chief Executive Officer Jim Alling.
caption: The first MOD Pizza location, at Union Square in Downtown Seattle, Washington.
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