Q+A: Peter Lacek With Sauce Pizza and Wine

Exploring Sauce with Patrick Lacek, Director of Operations

For anyone looking for a distinctive franchise opportunity in the restaurant sector, Sauce Pizza and Wine presents an appealing mix of fast-casual ease and elevated dining quality. In this interview, Peter Lacek, Director of Operations, provides valuable insights into the operational side of the Sauce Pizza and Wine franchise and what makes him excited to see this brand grow.

When someone asks you ‘What is Sauce Pizza and Wine’ – what would you tell them?

Lacek: Sauce Pizza and Wine is someplace you feel good about coming to and want to bring your family to as well because it just feels cool. While it’s neat and trendy, it also fills a nice niche, because we’re not going to break the bank. You’re going to get a quality, made-from-scratch product in a great environment.

What do you think a prospective franchisee should know when first looking into the Sauce Pizza and Wine concept?

Lacek: First off, you need to know the brand. You should come in, check us out, and ask all the questions. We’re an open book and very transparent. You also need to be aware of the risk—there’s always risk in any business. You need to learn and understand the operations of the business. This isn’t a 1,500-square-foot, first-time sandwich shop. We are making a lot from scratch and have a full working kitchen. Prospective franchisees don’t need a PhD in restaurants, but they are going to want to come into Sauce Pizza and Wine with some experience.

For a prospective franchisee with industry experience but no franchising experience, what is the biggest challenge?

Lacek: Just being in the industry is totally different from owning and operating a restaurant. Think of it like it’s your first child — you’re going to smother it! That’s what an owner needs to be willing to do. You must constantly be there in order to learn and understand and help the business grow and thrive.

What advice would you give a first-time franchisee as they’re learning the operations side of the business?

Lacek: One of the things that I would stress early on is becoming an expert. Come work with us and be in the restaurant. I think everybody that’s been in operations looks to be the boss or be the owner. Let’s understand all the ins and outs together. As we grow beyond that first unit, the franchisee is now becoming the expert, and we can work together to grow the brand.

I don’t want to be a broken record about operations, but running a restaurant is like being on stage. It creates a kind of energy and passion—and that’s who I’m looking for in a franchisee. I’m not just looking for someone that has the financial resources to open a restaurant. I’m looking for someone who will get angry, when we’re angry, be happy when we’re happy and drill into the same type of things we do, because that’s what it’s about. To be truly successful, you have to be so focused that people think you’re a little bit crazy! I don’t know how you get that without being passionate about what you’re doing.

How does MTY Group bring a special value to franchising with Sauce Pizza and Wine?

Lacek: One of the great parts of our culture at MTY Group is that we’re very, very inclusive. There are no walls, there’s no competition. If someone needs anything in any of our brands, we’re there for them. We’re communicating weekly through meetings, talking about what’s going on in your market and your brand. We are constantly looking at ways to benefit our brands and our markets—from buying advertising to negotiating with vendors. You’re getting a lot more than just a single brand that has one thing to offer. You get the expertise of the local brand, the local area director, the operational team – a huge number of resources to help you.

What can a franchisee expect from the training and day-to-day processes?

Lacek: I am a restaurant operations person to my heart and soul, and a Sauce Pizza and Wine franchisee is going to get a true cooperator in working with me and my team. We’re going to have weekly meetings, talking about where you’re at in the process, what needs to be done, and how we can support you. From an operations standpoint, we’re going to be looking at the numbers together, looking for challenges and opportunities, and what type of solutions we can offer when the numbers aren’t right. I’m not going to say we’ve been through everything, but we’ve kind of been through everything!

Do you think that this is a system that is built to scale?

Lacek: Absolutely. One of the benefits is that we’re not just Sauce Pizza and Wine. We’re under the MTY Group, one of the largest franchisors in North America’s restaurant industry. We have franchises and other brands across North America—this is what we do. We understand what bandwidth is and we understand what franchisees need when it comes to operational support and training. This is why so many choose to go the franchise route. The brand is already built and we’ll give you our expertise. We just need you to come in, invest with us, and grow.

Someone who is in a multi-brand situation and is looking at Sauce Pizza and Wine to buy a package of franchise locations could certainly be successful because they probably already understand that connection. When you have energy in a building, in a culture that makes people want to come back, that is the heart and soul of the business, and I think most multi-brand, multi-unit owners get that.

What makes you excited to see this brand grow?

Lacek: When I think about our future growth, I think about that sense of community—of having someone just like me to talk about that other market, that next market, or what’s going on in your world, so we can support and learn from each other.

It’s also exciting to me to know that this is a great core business that can work anywhere. We work together as a community and are all kind of geeking out on this brand together. It’s a “made from the heart” business and that’s where a lot of pride comes in.

Discover Franchising Opportunities with Sauce Pizza and Wine

Curious about bringing the Sauce Pizza and Wine experience to your community? Explore our business model, comprehensive franchisee support, and investment details by visiting our research pages here.

If you’re prepared to learn more and discuss the potential of investing in a Sauce Pizza and Wine franchise, we encourage you to complete our inquiry form here. After receiving your submission, our franchise development team will reach out to schedule an introductory call and provide further information about this exciting opportunity.