Mellow Mushroom: Американская пиццерия с историей и атмосферой

Restaurant franchise based in Atlanta, Georgia, U. S.

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers is an American pizza restaurant chain established in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia as a single pizzeria. It operates as a franchise under the banner of Home Grown Industries, Inc. of Georgia, with 170 locations throughout the United States. Its headquarters are in Atlanta.

Mellow Mushroom restaurants specialize in pizza but also serve calzones, hoagies, salads, appetizers, such as pretzel bites and a wide beer selection. They often feature a large selection of beer, typically 20 40 beers on draft and 50 or more bottled. Each store is locally owned, operated and decorated differently. Sometimes there is a unifying theme to the artwork. Tie dye and colorful mushrooms are a common theme for locations. Some restaurants occasionally feature live music, trivia competitions, karaoke, or bingo.

Mellow Mushroom opened in Atlanta, Georgia The first restaurant was opened on Spring Street in Atlanta. In the late 1980s, the first franchise was opened by an employee, followed by customer owned franchises, and then to friends of employees and customers. The first franchise outside of Atlanta was in Athens, Georgia, near the University of Georgia. There are several dozen locations operating in Atlanta and elsewhere in Georgia. Beginning in 2000, the franchise expanded outside college markets to urban areas such as Jacksonville, Florida and Denver, Colorado. To date, the chain has over 200 locations across 20 states. Finethy created and refined the chain's mascot, Mel O. Mushroom, as well as the supporting cast of animated characters that identified the chain.