While working in the restaurant industry during her college days, Kim Juda made a goal to open her own restaurant one day. But she decided the right first step was working with an established restaurant company to get the lay of the land.
“I really liked the food industry. The organized chaos of it all was really appealing to me,” said Juda, the vice president of operations at Crust Pizza Co.
She held franchise operations roles at Quiznos, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, The Simple Greek and Clean Juice before joining the Crust Pizza team in July 2024.
In its heyday, Quiznos had almost 5,000 restaurants (today it has only 300). As she climbed the corporate ladder, she took jobs at smaller brands.
“That was the pivotal point where I realized there’s something to this part of scaling companies,” she said.
Now she’s using her smaller brand experience to contribute to development at Crust Pizza. The Texas-based franchise has 31 locations, with eight more in the development stages.
Crust Pizza is a product of the 2008 Great Recession, when childhood friends Clint Price and Mark Raspberry teamed up to create the concept. Price worked in the restaurant industry and Raspberry was in the mortgage business and each of them were looking for new careers in the wake of the recession.
They opened their first store in 2011. In 2019, the pair partnered with Carl Comeaux and Nicholas Fontenot, who each have franchising backgrounds, to grow the brand.
“What I really respect about their process is the slower pace to growth. Although now we’re ready and we really do want to focus in and have some big goals ahead of us,” Juda said. “It’s strategic—the expansion plans in the Southeast and being careful to make sure that unit economics work as well.”
That big goal is to have 250 stores, starting at opening 10 to 15 locations annually, she said.
Crust Pizza serves tavern-style, Chicago thin-crust pizza cut in squares.
“We make our dough fresh and cut all our produce in house,” Juda said.
The atmosphere is inviting, she said, with a modern aesthetic. Stores see families coming in weekly after a long work week to enjoy a meal out. That connects with Crust Pizza’s philosophy of leading with people in mind.
“We’re building a culture of collaboration and trust and accountability,” Juda said. “Our franchisees aren’t just operators; they’re brand ambassadors.”
