Former McDonald's CEO Don Thompson is getting into the pizza business.
McDonald's former CEO is abandoning burgers and betting on a pizza chain that's like 'Subway, but better'
Ex-McDonald's CEO Don Thompson has invested in Los Angeles-based PizzaRev.
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Thompson has acquired a majority stake in the fast-casual chain PizzaRev through his Chicago-based venture capital firm, Cleveland Avenue LLC, Nation's Restaurant News reports.
The chain, founded in 2012, has grown rapidly from three locations five years ago to about 50 today across 11 states, with more than 200 restaurants currently in development
Like its larger rivals Pie Five Pizza and Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza, PizzaRev allows customers to build their own pizzas from a variety of ingredients.
Thompson, who left McDonald's in 2015, said his firm invested in PizzaRev because of its potential for scale and growth.
The company's growth over the last five years was helped by Buffalo Wild Wings, which took a minority stake in the company in 2013.
PizzaRev serves a variety of homemade dough options, all-natural cheeses and more than 30 toppings.
The pizzas are fired in a 900-degree stone-bed oven that produces a "crispy Roman-style pizza in just three minutes," according to the company.
In online reviews, customers praise PizzaRev's service, "to-die-for" pizzas, healthy options, and plethora of sauces and toppings.
Protein toppings include
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