Georgia-based Amici Italian Café has awarded a 20-unit franchise deal to Stonemont Financial Group, a private investment firm headquartered in Atlanta. Stonemont will open new Amici restaurants across North and South Carolina with the first location adjacent to the campus of Clemson University. It will open in the fall of 2017 at PlazaOne89, located at 189 Old Greenville Highway across from Memorial Stadium.
Amici has a 24-year history of serving made-from-scratch gourmet pizzas and fresh pastas, wings, sandwiches, soups, salads, and a variety of appetizers. The popular Italian Café gained a strong student following on the campuses of the University of Georgia and Georgia College & State University. Stonemont hopes to duplicate the incredible success of the brand’s college locations on campuses across the Southeast.
“The Stonemont team have seen firsthand how our restaurants have built a cult-like following in Georgia,” says Mike Torino, CEO.
According to Chris Torino, EVP, Brand Development, “We have been searching for a partner to take our brand to more locations across the Southeast, specifically college campuses, and Stonemont’ s experience and success developing those markets make them the perfect partner to help grow our brand.”
The Clemson University restaurant will be a new construction project and feature the new prototype for Amici. The restaurant will be located on the ground floor of a newly constructed, luxury student housing complex, PlazaOne89. As the development schedule rolls out, Amici and Stonemont will tailor each restaurant to fit the personality of the community it is in. The Amici location at Clemson University will feature a modern, industrial flair with wood, metal and concrete finishes.
“We have been fans of Amici’s food and their commitment to quality for years,” says Zack Markwell, CEO of Stonemont. “With their 20 plus years of experience in Georgia, we respect and trust them to be a great franchise investment for our firm.”
In addition to the new 20-unit deal with Stonemont, Amici is building a newer location in Madison, Georgia, where the restaurant group is headquartered and will open a corporate location in Gainesville Two other new franchise locations in Macon and Augusta are also in the works.
