A Georgia-born pizza chain built on stone-oven cooking and counterculture branding is pushing deeper into the heartland, opening its first-ever Kansas restaurant and a fifth Denver location by September 1.
Stoner's Pizza Joint, a franchise operation now topping 60 locations nationwide, announced the two openings in a news release covered by The Sun. The Wichita, Kansas, store, the chain's debut in the state, is set to open at the end of August under a new franchisee. The Denver location, situated near the University of Denver, has already opened under an existing franchise partner.
CEO John Stetson framed the expansion as proof the brand's franchise model is working:
"This is an exciting week for Stoner's and a great reflection of the momentum we're seeing across the brand."
Stetson added that growing to five Denver restaurants with a current partner while simultaneously entering a new state with a fresh franchisee "demonstrates the strength of our franchise system and the growth opportunities we see ahead."
Joel Harn founded Stoner's Pizza Joint in Georgia in 2015. The name, per QSR Magazine reporting cited in the coverage, referred to the stone-lined ovens the restaurants used, though the brand has leaned into cannabis-culture aesthetics in its marketing, courting what the chain itself calls a "stoner" appeal.
Harn grew the concept to roughly 20 locations before selling it in 2018 to Drew Ciccarelli and Nick Bergelt of HHI Hospitality for around $2.5 million. John Stetson later took over as CEO and shifted the company toward aggressive franchising, more than tripling the store count to over 60.
The chain positions itself as a competitor to national giants like Domino's, betting that quirky branding and novelty menu items can carve out market share in a crowded pizza industry. Whether that bet holds up against established delivery networks and deep corporate pockets remains an open question, but the raw expansion numbers suggest franchisees are buying in.
Alongside the expansion news, Stoner's reintroduced its Pickle Pizza as a limited-time offering available from July 1 through August 31. The seasonal item features crispy bacon and dill pickles on a base of white sauce, topped with whole-milk mozzarella. A ranch-drizzle version promises what the chain calls a "perfect balance of savory and tangy flavors."
The pickle pizza has become something of a signature for the brand, the kind of menu oddity that generates social media attention and foot traffic from curious first-timers. In a franchise model, that sort of buzz can matter as much as the food itself.
Meanwhile, communities across the country are dealing with far more serious concerns. Deadly tornadoes recently tore through Oklahoma, killing at least three people and damaging dozens of homes. Governor Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency in five counties after at least eight tornadoes struck, with AP News reporting that Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee sustained damage to nearly every building on campus. The storms left more than 34,000 residents without power at their peak.
For Stoner's Pizza Joint, the immediate road ahead is straightforward: get the Wichita store running, keep Denver growing, and see whether the franchise pipeline holds. The chain has gone from a quirky regional concept to a 60-plus-location operation in under a decade. That trajectory says something about what franchisees see in the model, even if the name still raises eyebrows.
In a market dominated by billion-dollar brands, a pizza chain named after its ovens and famous for putting pickles on dough is an underdog story worth watching, and in a free market, that is exactly the kind of scrappy competition consumers deserve.
