Pie lovers can get their fix in just about any size from Laurie’s Pie Bar.
What’s a single mother of two to do after she’s laid off from her corporate job? In Laurie Gray’s case, she baked pies.
A lot of pies, in fact. “It just took off like crazy,” Gray said of her California pie business, Laurie’s Pie Bar. “I said to myself, ‘Oh, there’s a demand for this.’”
Her aim became to “bring back the lost art of pie,” Gray said. Her employer laid her off in 2014 and Laurie’s Pie Bar opened in Long Beach, California, in June 2016. A line around the block awaited the opening, and Gray said business hasn’t slowed down since.
The single-unit concept started franchising earlier this year in Arizona, Texas and Nevada.
Laurie’s sells slices of signature flavors, and of course full-size pies. Then there are “cutie pies,” which come in small jars. Indecisive customers can indulge in “pie flights” with shot glass portions of four flavors, or “frankenpies,” made of six slices of different flavors. Dog owners can get their pooch a little something too, with pumpkin pie pet bites.
Among the flavors are cherry amaretto, apple, lemon lavender, ube coconut cheesecake and Mississippi mud pie.
The company’s key lime pie, though, converts customers. “I’ve had people come in that say, ‘I don’t like key lime pie,’” Gray said. “Then they try it and they’re like, ‘Oh, I really like key lime pie now.’” The pie has even impressed customers from Florida, where key lime pie is especially popular, she said.
The bakery offers classes for those looking to try their hand at making a pie from scratch. “The crust is the hardest part,” Gray said. “There’s tips and tricks to it.”
Laurie’s Pie Bar founder Laurie Gray.
It was after reflecting on her bakery’s growth in the last eight years that Gray decided to start franchising Laurie’s Pie Bar. She’s perfected her baking process and created a simplified business model for franchisees to duplicate, she said. “In a world full of cookies and cupcakes and donuts and ice cream—and I love them all—I feel like we have something really unique to bring to the dessert market,” Gray said.
As the company expands, pies will be made in-house at each location. “That’s an important part of our brand,” Gray said.
Even so, locations are about 1,000 square feet, as 90 percent of orders are for pickup. “It’s a business model that’s easy to duplicate in a small space,” Gray said. Her bakery was converted from a Quizno’s location. “It doesn’t need a lot of equipment. We’re able to produce a lot out of a small space.”
The initial investment required to open a Laurie’s franchise ranges from $230,600 to $478,000, including a $35,000 franchise fee.
Gray is seeking franchisees with a passion for baking. A drive for building community connections and possession of hospitality skills are also a must, Gray said. “I’m not looking for people that are professionally trained bakers,” she said. “Our team is here to help them, as a resource, every step of the way, to help them grow the business and teach them everything they need to know. So, it’s not like you need to be professionally trained.”
She looks to dessert franchise Nothing Bundt Cakes for inspiration, noting the product and its business model. In 2023, average net revenue among that brand’s 424 bakeries was $1.5 million, with an overall range of $534,497 to $3.8 million.
The dessert sector is constantly seeing new entrants join legacy brands such as Baskin-Robbins, which did $2.3 billion in systemwide sales in 2022 from 7,641 global units. Crumbl, the Utah cookie concept that was off to a red-hot start, saw its average unit volume decline in 2023, to $1.16 million, the first drop in its short history.
At Laurie’s Pie Bar, while the pie is the star, Gray said the experience is another sales driver. “You’ve just got the perfect place to make your day a little sweeter,” she said. “It’s a great place to come and enjoy a flight of pie shots and a bottle of wine for date night, or take a whole pie to go for an event.
Laurie’s Trifecta: Bicycle club member // SoCal live music lover // Favors her Marionberry pie