How a twelve-seat pizza counter in Delhi became a chain in 14 cities, and what we ask of the people who run our outlets.
Slice Mode started in 2014 with one stone oven, twelve seats and six pizzas. Our founder had spent a year working in kitchens in Chicago and came home convinced of two things: that Indian cities would love a proper deep dish, and that most pizza here was let down by rushed dough. The first outlet did nothing clever. It fermented its dough for 48 hours, used real mozzarella and baked on stone. People queued.
Growing slowly on purpose
For the first three years we opened only outlets we ran ourselves. We wanted to know exactly what it takes to make the same pizza in a second kitchen, and then a fifth. The answer turned out to be discipline about boring things: dough trays with dates on them, cold rooms that hold four degrees, sauce cooked to a recipe measured in grams and an oven hand trained for six weeks before working a Friday night alone.
Why we franchise
By 2018 we had more cities asking for Slice Mode than we could open ourselves. Franchising let local owners, who know their neighbourhoods far better than we do, bring the brand to them. Today there are more than 120 outlets in 14 cities, and most are run by franchise partners. Several partners now operate three or four outlets each.
What we provide
Every partner gets the same kitchen: our stone oven, deep dish pans, dough mixer and cold room specification. We supply flour, cheese and sauce base through our own supply chain so that the ingredients are identical everywhere. New teams train for six weeks in an existing outlet, and one of our chefs stays on site for the first month after opening. We also handle the menu, the ordering website and national marketing.
What we ask
A site of 600 to 1,200 square feet with good delivery access. An owner who will be present, especially in the first year. And no shortcuts on the dough. A partner may never bake dough younger than 48 hours, even on the busiest night. We audit every outlet each month, and the dough tray dates are the first thing we check.
What partners tell us
The pattern we hear most is that delivery builds the business first and dine-in follows. Most outlets reach steady volume within six months. The owners who do best are the ones who eat their own pizza every day and notice when something is off.
Thinking about it?
If you would like to run a Slice Mode outlet, write to franchise@slicemode.example or fill in the form on our franchise page. Tell us your city and the area you have in mind. We reply to every enquiry within a week, and the first conversation is always over a pizza.
