Mellow Mushroom facts for kids
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Logo since 2024
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Mellow Mushroom in Hiram, Georgia
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurant franchise |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founders | Rocky Reeves Mike Nicholson |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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170 (2021) |
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Key people
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Marc Weinstein, Richard Brasch, Rocky Reeves, Mike Nicholson |
| Products | Stone-Baked Pizza, Craft Cocktails, Burgers, Salads, Calzones, Hoagies & Sandwiches, Craft and local Beer |
| Revenue | US$395 million (2023) |
| Owner | Home Grown Industries, Inc. |
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Number of employees
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6,216 employees (2022) |
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers is a popular American pizza restaurant chain. It started in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia, as just one pizza place. Today, it's a franchise, meaning many different owners run their own Mellow Mushroom restaurants. There are 170 locations across the United States. The main office is still in Atlanta.
Contents
What Mellow Mushroom Offers
Mellow Mushroom restaurants are famous for their pizzas. They also serve other tasty foods. You can find calzones, hoagies, and fresh salads. They have appetizers like pretzel bites too. Many locations offer a large selection of beer. They often have 20 to 40 beers on tap. Plus, they might have 50 or more bottled beers.
Unique Restaurant Styles
Each Mellow Mushroom restaurant is special. They are owned and run by people in the local area. This means each place is decorated differently. Sometimes, there's a main theme for the artwork. You might see tie-dye colors or colorful mushrooms. These are common themes in many locations. Some restaurants also have fun events. These can include live music, trivia games, karaoke, or bingo nights.
The Story of Mellow Mushroom
Mellow Mushroom first opened in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1974. Two college students from Georgia Tech started the business. A third student from the University of Georgia later joined them. They wanted to create a business that showed their unique ideas. The very first restaurant was on Spring Street in Atlanta.
How the Franchise Grew
In the late 1980s, the first franchise opened. An employee started this new location. After that, customers began opening their own franchises. Then, friends of employees and customers also opened Mellow Mushroom restaurants. Each franchise is locally owned. This helps each location have its own special feel.
The first Mellow Mushroom outside Atlanta opened in Athens, Georgia. This city is close to the University of Georgia. Today, there are many locations in Atlanta and other parts of Georgia. Around the year 2000, the chain started to grow even more. It expanded from college towns to bigger cities. These included Jacksonville, Florida and Denver, Colorado. As of 2025, the chain has over 200 locations. These restaurants are spread across 20 different states.
Mellow Mushroom's Logo
The character in the logo is named Mellow Kyle Mushroom. Only his friends know his full name. An artist from Atlanta named Buddy Finethy helped create the look of Mellow Mushroom Pizza. This happened during the early days of franchising. Finethy designed the chain's mascot, Mel O. Mushroom. He also created other cartoon characters for the brand.
In November 2024, the company updated its brand. They changed their main colors to purple. The mushroom character was replaced with a new drawing of a mushroom. They also launched a new website at that time.
See also
