Pitfire Pizza's Michele Johnson On Building Without Backing

In a region where franchise expansion often dominates the F&B playbook, Pitfire Pizza’s journey as a homegrown UAE restaurant reads a little differently.

Founded in Dubai in 2014 by Michele Johnson and her husband Bill, Pitfire has grown into a beloved local brand with eight thriving outlets and three more on the way—without handing over control to franchisees or external investors.

In a market known for rapid rollouts backed by big capital, that kind of organic, founder-led growth feels almost radical. But for Johnson, it was the only way that made sense.

“Franchising is often seen as the obvious route to scale, and it absolutely makes sense for certain brands, especially those backed by large-scale investors,” she tells Inc. Arabia. “But that’s never been us. As individuals, Bill, my husband, and I are the true definition of ‘independent.’”

That fierce sense of autonomy has guided every decision Pitfire has made since it opened its doors. For Johnson and her husband, keeping the business owner-operated wasn’t just a philosophical choice—it was a way to preserve the quality, consistency, and community ethos that defines the brand.

“We like having full control over our brand, our decisions, and our direction,” Johnson says. “We’re definitely open to advice from other industry leaders, of course, but we’ve never been willing to compromise our vision for the sake of external investment or partnerships.”

That vision has evolved thoughtfully over time. While the couple always saw the potential for franchising, they were adamant about not rushing into it. “We knew early on that Pitfire had the potential to be franchised, but only when we were confident that we had the infrastructure, systems, and brand maturity to support franchisees the right way,” Johnson notes.

To that end, Johnson made an unconventional move: she and her team spent a full year developing an internal operations playbook—essentially building the skeleton of a franchise system—even though they had no immediate plans to do so. “That process forced us to dissect every corner of our business, from recipe consistency and training protocols to operational flow,” she recalls. “It became clear where we needed stronger systems, and those insights continue to guide us with each new location.”

Pitfire Pizza has eight thriving outlets in the UAE.

That focus on consistency shows up perhaps most clearly in how Pitfire approaches its product. “From the beginning, we understood that no matter where you live or which Pitfire you visit, the pizza served had to taste the same,” Johnson notes.

And to ensure that, the company centralized its pizza dough production early on—a decision that now sees all their locations, no matter how far-flung, using the same base made the same way, every single time. “While we remain proudly independent, having that framework in place gives us the structure of a franchise without losing the soul of a homegrown brand,” Johnson explains.

It’s thus this tension—between growth and identity, scale and soul—that Pitfire has had to navigate carefully. For the better part of a decade, the brand has made it a point to grow slowly, deliberately, opening new outlets only when each prior location was profitable and operationally sound.

“In our early years, growth was paced by organic growth, which always starts slowly,” Johnson says. “Without external investors, each new location had to be self-sustaining before we could consider the next.”

But a key turning point came with Pitfire’s second location in Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) neighborhood, with Johnson saying that’s when the company landed two significant opportunities that accelerated its expansion with minimal investment. And when its four locations started to operate profitably, Pitfire went on to expand into new neighborhoods like Arjan and Mirdif, and, more recently, Dubai Hills, a location the Johnsons hadn’t even considered initially. “But the opportunity to open our own independent licensed Pitfire there felt too aligned with our vision to pass up,” Johnson says.

Pitfire Pizza was founded in Dubai in 2014 by Michele Johnson and her husband, Bill.

Still, growth for Pitfire has never just been about square footage or new real estate. “It’s about building exceptional teams and developing strong managers,” Johnson says. Indeed, Johnson’s career background in human resources has shaped much of the company’s internal culture, which emphasizes promotion from within as well as long-term employee development. “We’ve seen team members who started as cashiers rise through the ranks to become restaurant managers, which is exactly the kind of progression we strive to support,” Johnson says.

With more locations for Pitfire now in the pipeline, Johnson says that the company remains committed to what she calls “thoughtful growth”—scaling with purpose, not just ambition. “We’ve never lost sight of our founding principles, focusing on locations that reflect who we are and the communities we serve, even if that means politely turning down tempting offers that don’t quite fit,” she says.

That same clarity of purpose helped the founders navigate one of the most critical junctures in their journey: the decision to buy out their early partners, who had pushed hard for franchising. “It wasn’t an easy decision to push back,” Johnson recalls. “But we took the time to explain what franchising really entailed, and why we didn’t feel ready.”

In the end, the partners exited, and the Johnsons took full ownership of the business. “That was a major inflection point,” Johnson reveals. “Gaining that autonomy allowed us to stay true to our vision, and we were fortunate to find the resources to make it happen.”

In Dubai, Pitfire Pizza has all of its pizza dough made in one place, the same way, every single time.

But now, with the groundwork laid and the systems mature, Johnson says that she’s actually open to franchising— but only under the right circumstances. “If the right operators come along, ones who align with our vision and values, we’ll explore it,” she says. “But if and when that happens, we’ll do it without losing sight of what makes Pitfire, Pitfire.”

It’s a message she hopes will resonate with other entrepreneurs in the region who may feel boxed in by conventional wisdom around growth. “The road hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been incredibly rewarding,” Johnson says. “And I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Pictured in the lead image is the co-founder of Pitfire Pizza, Michele Johnson. All images are courtesy of Pitfire.

This article first appeared in the June 2025 issue of Inc. Arabia magazine. To read the full issue online, click here.