Slim & Husky’s
Slim & Husky's is a privately held, fast-casual artisan pizza chain founded in 2015 in Nashville by three TSU graduates, operating ten-plus locations across Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi with a hip-hop-themed brand, in-house drizzles, and HBCU campus and airport venues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Slim & Husky’s does
Slim & Husky's is a privately held, fast-casual artisan pizza restaurant chain founded in 2015 by three Tennessee State University graduates — Clint Gray (CMO), E.J. Reed (CFO), and Derrick Moore (President) — who previously built and sold The Green Truck Moving & Storage Company. The concept operates ten or more locations across Tennessee (Nashville, Antioch, Franklin, Memphis), Georgia (Atlanta), and Mississippi (Jackson), spanning traditional retail storefronts, the Nashville International Airport concourse C, and university dining halls at Belmont, Morehouse, University of Memphis, Tennessee State, and Jackson State. Core menu offerings center on twelve signature artisan pizzas (named for hip-hop references such as P.R.E.A.M., Got 5 On It, and California Love) alongside a build-your-own program with five sauces, three cheeses, fifteen-plus proteins, and six signature drizzles, complemented by five-flavor gourmet cinnamon rolls, customizable salads, wings, and a regionally-tailored Ice Ice Babies frozen cocktail program.
The underlying technology stack is intentionally thin and commodity-based: ToastTab provides point-of-sale, online ordering, e-gift cards, and loyalty rewards; UberEats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates handle third-party delivery; iOS and Android apps extend the ordering surface. There is no proprietary software, no AI/ML capability, and no data flywheel — operational differentiation is culinary, cultural, and community-driven rather than technological. The brand's signature is a hip-hop- and R&B-inspired identity with locally sourced ingredients, twenty-four-hour fermented dough, and a community-empowerment narrative that includes civic events (Pizza + Progress debates), the PREAM Scholarship program ($2,750 to five Nashville graduates), and artist collaborations.
The business model is straightforward restaurant economics: transaction-fee revenue from dine-in, takeout, third-party delivery, corporate catering, and on-premise alcohol (craft beer and Nashville Urban Winery rosé used in frosé). Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but a value-anchor — the "$10 Husky-sized pies every Tuesday" promotion — exists alongside a mobile loyalty program that ties repeat visits to ToastTab. Distribution combines company-owned retail (standalone and non-traditional venues) with digital ordering (direct + aggregators) and direct B2B catering sales. To date, the company has grown organically with no institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds, expanding instead through reinvested cash flow and high-leverage brand partnerships such as the Memphis Grizzlies (Oct 2021) and a Nike Terminator High collaboration.
Slim & Husky’s firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Slim & Husky’s
- Legal name
- Slim & Husky's
- Website
- https://slimandhuskys.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Slim & Husky's is a privately held, fast-casual artisan pizza chain founded in 2015 in Nashville by three TSU graduates, operating ten-plus locations across Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi with a hip-hop-themed brand, in-house drizzles, and HBCU campus and airport venues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Slim & Husky’s industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast Casual Pizza Restaurant
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)
Keywords
Where Slim & Husky’s is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Slim & Husky’s business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-In and Takeout Sales: Core restaurant revenue from customers dining in or taking food to-go at each brick-and-mortar location.
- Third-Party Delivery: Revenue from delivery orders placed through UberEats, Postmates, DoorDash, and Grubhub partnerships.
- Corporate Catering: Catering services for corporate events, parties, and functions with signature pizzas, pastas, salads, garlic knots, and cinnamon rolls.
- Alcohol Sales: Rotating selection of local craft beers and wines at restaurant locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Team Member (BNA Location) |
| Other | Monthly | Team Lead (BNA Location) |
| Other | Annual | Assistant General Manager (BNA Location) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | $10 Tuesday Deal |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Slim & Husky’s product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Slim & Husky's is a fast casual artisan pizza restaurant chain that serves signature and custom-built pizzas with a hip-hop and R&B cultural theme. The company operates multiple dine-in, carryout, and delivery locations across Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi, including non-traditional venues such as airport and college campus outlets, and offers corporate and event catering services.
Product overview
Slim & Husky's is a fast casual, artisan pizza restaurant chain with a hip-hop and R&B cultural theme. The core offerings include signature artisan pizzas (12 varieties inspired by 90s hip-hop artists) and build-your-own pizzas with extensive customization options. Complementary products include gourmet cinnamon rolls (5 flavors), Hot Boy salads, wings, and Ice Ice Babies frozen beverages. The company also offers catering services and operates a mobile app with loyalty rewards and gift card programs through ToastTab integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Artisan Pizzas Hand-crafted artisan pizzas featuring signature recipes (e.g., The Husk Mutt, The Jamaican Me Crazy, The Pretty Boy) and build-your-own options made with 24-hour fermented dough and locally sourced ingredients, served to dine-in and takeout customers.
- Cinnamon Rolls Warm, hand-rolled cinnamon rolls served as a signature dessert item alongside the pizza menu.
- Catering Services
Quantifiable outcome
- $2,750 in scholarships awarded to 5 Nashville graduates through PREAM Scholarship program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Slim & Husky’s
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Slim & Husky’s technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Slim & Husky’s partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)coreOfficial partnership with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies team, bringing the hip-hop inspired pizza brand to Memphis market with team sponsorship.
- Urban League of Greater ChattanoogaminorSlim & Husky's co-founders served as keynote speakers at the 6th annual Entrepreneur Power Luncheon, inspiring prospective entrepreneurs and honoring local business owners.
- BlueCross BlueShield of TennesseeminorCo-presented the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga Entrepreneur Power Luncheon event.
- Nashville Urban WineryminorLocal supplier of rose wine used in Peach and Blueberry Frose frozen cocktails at Nashville locations. Their Indecent Rose combines with coconut cream base for signature drink.
- NikecoreSlim & Husky's received their own Nike Terminator High sneaker collaboration, demonstrating brand's cultural relevance and recognition beyond food service.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Slim & Husky’s competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Donatos Pizza: Regionally rooted pizza chain with strong Mid-Atlantic presence and a focus on edge-to-edge toppings. Comparable on premium, ingredient-forward regional pizza positioning versus national chains.
Others
- Toast (POS): Restaurant operating system used by Slim & Husky's for online ordering, gift cards, and loyalty. Relevant as enabling infrastructure for dine-in + digital-channel execution.
- Slice (independents platform): Independent pizzeria-focused online ordering and marketing platform. Adjacent ecosystem participant relevant to understanding third-party ordering economics and D2C pizza channels.
Direct peers
- Pieology Pizzeria: Fast-casual pizza chain with build-your-own pies and signature recipes. Closely aligned on limited-service pizza positioning with dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels.
- &pizza: Counter-service customizable pizza chain with a design-forward, culture-driven brand identity. Comparable to Slim & Husky's on fast-casual build-your-own service and brand-led, urban customer focus.
- Blaze Pizza: Fast-casual customizable pizza chain with signature pies, in-restaurant ovens, and a tech-forward ordering experience. Closely aligned on fast-casual build-your-own format and digital ordering infrastructure.
- MOD Pizza: Large fast-casual pizza chain built around customizable artisan pies with counter-service, dine-in and delivery. Closest direct comparable on format, price point, and customization mechanics to Slim & Husky's build-your-own model.
Broad incumbents
- California Pizza Kitchen (CPK): National casual-dining pizza chain known for non-traditional pies and premium positioning. Comparable on artisanal, signature-style pizza menu and broad U.S. consumer brand recognition.
- Marco's Pizza: Large multi-unit pizza franchise chain operating more than 1,000 locations across the U.S. Provides pizza category scale and franchise economics as a broader incumbent comparable.
Emerging players
- Blaze Pizza (Emerging view): Subset view of fast-casual pizza emerging players pushing tech-enabled, customization-led concepts. Useful peer for understanding growth-rate benchmarks for newer-build artisan pizza formats.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Slim & Husky’s social profiles
Digital presenceSlim & Husky’s financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Slim & Husky’s leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Slim & Husky’s funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Slim & Husky’s M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Slim & Husky’s
What does Slim & Husky’s do?
Slim & Husky's is a fast casual artisan pizza restaurant chain that serves signature and custom-built pizzas with a hip-hop and R&B cultural theme. The company operates multiple dine-in, carryout, and delivery locations across Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi, including non-traditional venues such as airport and college campus outlets, and offers corporate and event catering services.
Is Slim & Husky’s a public or private company?
Slim & Husky’s is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Slim & Husky’s founded?
Slim & Husky’s was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Slim & Husky’s based?
Slim & Husky’s is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Slim & Husky’s make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-In and Takeout Sales are the primary driver. The others are third-Party Delivery, corporate Catering and alcohol Sales.
Who are Slim & Husky’s's main competitors?
Donatos Pizza is listed as a regional player. Others are Toast (POS) and Slice (independents platform). Direct peers are Pieology Pizzeria, &pizza, Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza. Broad incumbents are California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and Marco's Pizza. Blaze Pizza (Emerging view) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Slim & Husky’s have an API?
No public API is recorded for Slim & Husky’s.
What industry is Slim & Husky’s in?
Slim & Husky’s's product category is Fast Casual Pizza Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAB, Pizza Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5812.