Longtime Columbia pizza restaurant now hopes to expand to ‘college towns across the US’
It looks like the Village is about to get bigger.
Village Idiot, the venerable pizza place that has been a mainstay in the Columbia area for more than 30 years, is beginning to offer franchising opportunities, with hopes of expanding across South Carolina and elsewhere. The company said in a Tuesday news release that it hopes to “become a staple in college towns across the U.S.”
There are currently Columbia-area Village Idiot locations in Five Points, Forest Acres and in the Olympia neighborhood at The Mills apartment development. The business has been owned for the last 20 years by Brian and Kelly Glynn.
“It is our passion for giving guests great pizza and memorable experiences that have led us to the decision to expand Village Idiot Pizza beyond Columbia,” Kelly Glynn said in a statement. “We are truly excited to see this brand, that we have nurtured and grown over the last 20 years, contribute in big ways to other communities across South Carolina.”
Those seeking more info about franchising opportunities can visit villageidiotpizza.com/franchise or email vipfranchising@villageidiotpizza.com.
Village Idiot has long been a staple of the Columbia culinary scene. A favorite among college students, families, University of South Carolina sports fans and other broad swaths of the capital city, it came out on top with readers in The State’s 2022 Pizza Bracket. Brian Glynn, an Albany, New York, native who has worked in the pizza business since he was a teenager, has been dubbed by some “The Godfather” and the “King of Crusts” for his prodigious pie skills.
“Kelly and I have been able to live the dream of operating our own business,” Brian said in a statement. “Not only has this given us a great deal of personal freedom, but it has allowed us to be able to positively impact our community in so many different ways. It is beyond thrilling for us to enter this next phase of our business - a phase in which we will bring more people into our VI Pizza family.
“We will not only show them how to achieve these same goals, but we will walk with them through every step of the journey to ensure the same hard lessons we have learned over the years do not hinder their quest.”
It’s not often that local Columbia spots have ventured to expand far outside the Midlands, though there have, on occasion, been examples of Columbia restaurants that have franchised out to other locations. For instance, Groucho’s Deli, long a part of the Columbia culinary tapestry, offers franchising opportunities and now has locations across South Carolina, as well as spots in North Carolina and Georgia.
