After relocating from The Woodlands, Texas, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Fernanda Collins and her husband couldn’t find a pizza place they loved as much as Crust Pizza Co. As longtime fans of the brand, they were excited to learn that Crust had begun franchising. What started as a lighthearted idea quickly became a serious plan.
“My husband and I joked, ‘Let’s just open one in Baton Rouge.’ We were both stable in our careers, so it really was just a joke. But when we came back home, the idea stuck,” she told 1851 Franchise publisher Nick Powills on an episode of his “Meet the Zee” webcast.
They reached out to the founders, leaned into their entrepreneurial roots and spent two years searching for the perfect location before finally opening their restaurant.
“The restaurant business has always been in my blood. My grandma had a restaurant when I was growing up,” Collins said. “I had my little chef’s uniform and everything. So I don’t feel like I left my passion — I just added another one.”
The transition wasn’t easy. Collins eventually left her job as a creative director to focus full-time on the restaurant. Today, she says her favorite part of ownership is engaging with the community and building relationships with customers and staff.
Crust’s detailed demographic research tools and corporate support helped make the transition easier. Now that Collins has her first store up and running, she’s focused on finding the next great location and continuing to grow.
“The best part is when customers say how much they love what we’re doing — how much they talk about Crust, bring in their neighbors and keep coming back. That really assures us we made the right decision,” she said.
A transcript of Collins’ interview with Powills has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.
Nick Powills: How did you accidentally fall into franchising?
Fernanda Collins: I never planned on opening a pizza place or anything like that. My husband and I lived in The Woodlands, where Crust Pizza Co. started. We were customers and absolutely loved the pizza. We were at the restaurant all the time. Then my husband got an offer to move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, so we moved. We tried a bunch of different pizza places there but never found one we loved as much as Crust. We basically stopped eating pizza while we lived here.
His family is still in The Woodlands, so we often went back to visit. On one of those trips, we found out that Crust Pizza Co. had started franchising. My husband and I joked, “Let’s just open one in Baton Rouge.” He has his engineering job, and I worked as a graphic designer and creative director for a communications agency. We were both stable in our careers, so it really was just a joke.
But when we came back home, the idea stuck. He kept bringing it up, saying how nice Crust Pizza Co. was and how we still hadn’t found a place like it here. His father worked in the same shopping center as the founders of Crust Pizza Co., near the original Panther Creek location, so they put us in touch. We started talking with the owners and thinking more seriously about it. From that point to opening our doors, it was about two years.
Powills: I could argue that being in the restaurant business is similar to being an artist: you're operationalizing the delivery of something fantastic to the customer. When you were thinking about this, were you tripped up by not being in the restaurant industry in the traditional sense? How did you get comfortable with that?
Collins: Well, I still do a little bit of the graphic design for the restaurant, so it combines both of my passions. The restaurant business has always been in my blood. My grandma had a restaurant when I was growing up. I had my little chef’s uniform and everything. I don’t feel like I left my passion — I just added another one.
Powills: When you were going through the sales process, can you remember the moment when you said, “Absolutely, we’re in”?
Collins: We had conversations and started seriously thinking about the idea. The big thing was finding the right location — that’s a deal breaker in any business. If you’re not in the right spot, it can make or break your success. My husband and I spent a lot of time looking. The whole process took about two years before we opened, and we looked at so many places. It was hard to find one that checked all the boxes, but we wanted to feel confident about the location.
During that time, we’d go back to The Woodlands to visit his family. Every time we’d eat at Crust again, we felt reassured. It reminded us how good the product is, and we knew people in Baton Rouge would come back once they tried it. We also started visiting other Crust locations on our trips. Seeing the consistency and learning from those stores helped us feel more confident in our decision.
Powills: You also mentioned putting your life savings into this. How did you secure the financing and feel confident moving forward?
Collins: We had some personal savings, which we put into the business. We also got a small business loan to help with the buildout and everything. That’s how we made it work.
Powills: Are you thinking about how to grow more?
Collins: The plan is definitely to open more locations. We've already started the process and have been looking at new areas. The research is important, but I also need to feel like it’s the right place.
We haven’t found the perfect location yet for our second store, but we’re looking. With the first one, we took our time, and it paid off — we love where we are. It's a high-traffic area, and we have great customers. We want another location like that, in a strong family community. So yes, the goal is to grow and open more stores.
Powills: Go back to the first day. You’re ready to open, keys in the door, first customer coming in — what did that feel like?
Collins: It was such a mix of emotions. We had trained and prepared, but there’s always that question — are we ready? There’s so much effort involved, and with a brand-new team, there are a lot of moving parts.
It was overwhelming, but not in a bad way. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I felt confident we were doing the right thing.
Powills: Do you feel proud of what you’ve done? Or are you still so in the moment that it hasn’t sunk in?
Collins: Oh, I’m absolutely proud. I love it. As a graphic designer, I was used to being behind a computer, working on my own — not talking to people. That was my world for 15 years. I’d have the occasional meeting with clients, but it was very different from the restaurant world.
In a restaurant, you’re always talking to people — customers, staff, training. When we first opened, I didn’t like working the register or doing table touches. I wasn’t used to it. I was used to my little creative bubble. But now, almost two years in, it’s one of my favorite parts. I love being at the restaurant. If a cashier is there, I’ll let them step aside so I can take orders and check in with customers. I enjoy hearing their stories.
The best part is when customers say how much they love what we’re doing — how much they talk about Crust, bring in their neighbors and keep coming back. That really assures us we made the right decision. We read amazing reviews, see happy guests and feel that energy in the restaurant. It’s all added up, and yes — I’m very proud of what I’m doing.
Powills: If there’s a franchisee watching this who might be a little afraid,hat advice would you give — maybe something you had to tell yourself?
Collins: I think it’s very important to do your research. It’s a big step and a big investment, and your life can change quickly with that decision. So make sure you take the time to think it through. At the same time, follow your dreams. Like I mentioned earlier, my whole family were entrepreneurs. I felt like that was where I wanted to be. So it was about following that dream — but with preparation behind it.
Don’t just jump into something because you had an idea last night. Make sure the numbers work. Find a company you believe in, one that offers support and has a product you’re passionate about. Your gut matters, but you also need the data to back it up. You want to know there’s a real path to success.
