Noble Roman's


Noble Roman's is a pizza company based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

History

Noble Roman's was founded in Bloomington, Indiana, when Stephen Huse and Gary Knackstedt acquired a failed pizza shop near the campus of Indiana University in 1969. The company incorporated in 1972, with the first franchise following in 1973.
During the 2000s and 2010s, the company became embroiled in multiple lawsuits with its franchisees. Franchisees have described the company as "distinguished...by its high franchisee failure rates, and its insistence on suing franchise owners once they fail." Other franchisees allege that the company "has used litigation as a revenue source," and as of 2009, was "involved with litigation with every one of their franchisees."
During the 2010s, Noble Roman's started to move away from selling pizzas in the traditional sit down and delivery restaurants to focus in selling reheat-and-serve products in supermarkets, and later, hot products for eating inside supermarket cafes such as at Marsh Supermarkets.
In November 2014, Scott Mobley replaced his father, Paul Mobley, as president and CEO while the elder remained chairman. During this time, Noble Roman's supplied pizza to 800 "nontraditional locations" such as "convenience stores, military bases, and bowling alleys," and manufactured pizzas carried by 2,000 supermarkets. As of August 2016, the number of dedicated Noble Roman's restaurants is approximately 16, though their pre-made branded products are offered widely in convenience stores and grocery stores.
In the 3rd quarterly earnings report that came out in November 2016, the company had announced its decision to “discontinue expansion of its stand-alone take-n-bake concept, so that management’s efforts could be fully focused on the modernized Craft Pizza & Pub.”

Restaurants