Local Family of Entrepreneurs Brings Fast-Casual Concept to Austin
Austin, TX (PRESS RELEASE) Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza – the fastest-growing wood-fired pizza franchise in the U.S., is happy to announce the opening of its first Lone Star State location. The new restaurant and self-pour taproom will be located at 8300 N FM 620, Ste. K200., in Austin, Texas, and will celebrate its grand opening in late August/early September. This will be a true family-run business, locally-owned and operated by Tiffany Lauchlan and her brother, Ed Juline, with Tiffany’s husband, Gary, assuming the role of General Manager. To celebrate the grand opening, each guest can enjoy one free individual sized pizza from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. when the restaurant officially opens its doors.
This will be the first Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom the Lauchlan family intends on opening, with plans for additional locations in the near future.
Tiffany and Gary Lauchlan are involved members of the Lake Travis community, belonging to both the local chamber of commerce, The Hills Country Club & World of Tennis and the Freedom Boat Club. The couple wanted to make a bigger difference in their hometown and decided to go into franchising. When a franchise business broker introduced the Lauchlans to Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and Taproom, they instantly fell in love with the restaurant’s energetic, family-friendly atmosphere and thought it would be a perfect fit for Austin. With Tiffany’s expertise in commercial real estate, Gary’s experience in the fast-casual restaurant space spanning over 40 years, and her brother Ed’s background in finance and entrepreneurship, this trio brings strong leadership skills to ensure that the Austin restaurant is a success.
“The Austin community has been growing rapidly these days and residents need a restaurant that provides an experience for the whole family to enjoy,” said Tiffany Lauchlan. “At Smokin’ Oak Pizza, you can have a delicious meal in either 15 minutes or enjoy the self-pour taproom and linger for longer, so it’s perfect for every occasion. I know local families will love this concept because kids can have fun watching their food being made while parents relax with a drink from the Taproom.”
Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and Taproom features a full menu of wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, salads, starters, and even desserts. The oven, fueled by oak wood, gets to about 900 degrees and cooks pizzas in about two minutes. The brand delivers an enjoyable pizza experience through the use of its open-plan kitchen, which allows customers to be able to customize and watch their pizzas being made right in front of them. The dough and sauces are made in-house, veggies are cut fresh throughout the day, and even the meats are roasted in the wood-fired oven to infuse real oak wood flavor.
The Taproom features a self-pour tap wall that offers beer, wine, and cider. To use the Taproom, a guest will start a tab, be provided with an RFID-enabled bracelet, and then be free to explore the tap wall. Guests can pour anywhere from one to 16 ounces at a time, which provides them an opportunity to try different wines, beers, ciders and other drinks they may not otherwise try. It’s a great way to do beer tasting with friends of local breweries without the need to travel from Blanco to Dripping Springs to East Austin, instead we bring it all to you in one Taproom. A Taproom Attendant will be available to answer any questions on how to use the tap wall and to provide recommendations.
“We are thrilled to open our first location in Texas and Tiffany, Gary, and Ed are the perfect Franchise Owners to do so with,” said Matt Mongoven, CEO and Co-Founder of Fourth Avenue Restaurant Group, the Franchisor of Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza. “I am confident that our unique restaurant concept will become a regular spot for the Austin community, and they’ll truly remember our wood-fired signature menu items and have fun exploring the drinks on the taproom wall.”
The team bringing this location together is Architect, Andrea Corn of Nuvu Interiors ATX, General Contractor, Robert Juarez of DKC Construction Group and Construction Manager, Ty Estes of ECR.
The opening of the Austin location marks an important step in Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom’s continued national expansion. For more information, please visit www.smokinoakpizza.com.
About Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom
Founded in 2009 and franchising since 2017, Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom is a fast-casual franchise concept that serves authentic wood-fired pizza. Guests can customize their own pizza by choosing from over 35 fresh toppings or, by ordering one of the brand’s 12 Signature Pizzas, which include favorites like the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and the Smokey Dokey. Also available are a great selection of starters, salads, wood-fired sandwiches, and desserts. Locations with an interactive, self-serve Taproom offer a wide selection of beer, wine, and mixed cocktails, that guests can pour themselves with a tap of a wristband. All pizzas are baked to perfection in an oak wood-fired oven using only the freshest ingredients. In fact, the food is so fresh, there are no freezers on-site and the wood-fired oven is the only cooking utensil used by restaurants.
Contact:
Hayley Riback
Franchise Elevator PR
847-707-8321
hriback@franchiseelevator.com