Three franchise agreements will put Papa Murphy’s take-and-bake pizza and Pinkberry frozen yogurt under one roof for the first time, with the first co-branded location opening in early November in Sunriver, Oregon. Both brands belong to Montreal-based MTY Food Group, which frames the pairing as a play for real estate, labor and operational efficiency rather than a menu experiment.

The company said the combined model is designed to maximize those efficiencies, give franchisees multiple revenue streams and broaden the customer base. The seasonal offset is central to the pitch: pizza demand and frozen yogurt demand peak at different times of year, which MTY argues compresses payback periods on new builds.

Who is opening the first units?

• Sunriver, Oregon — the first co-branded model, opening in early November, operated by Joshua and Samantha Kimzey.
• Santa Fe, New Mexico — longtime franchisee John Perea will add a Pinkberry to his existing Papa Murphy’s, a location he has owned since 2010.
• West Haven, Utah — franchisee Casey Kauer, who operates five Papa Murphy’s restaurants in Utah, will open a co-branded location scheduled for summer 2027.

All three agreements sit with existing or established franchisees, meaning MTY is testing the format with operators who already know the pizza brand’s cost structure rather than recruiting new money.

What does co-branding change for operators?

Ray Zandi, vice president of U.S. development at MTY Food Group, said early responses to the concept “reinforce the strength of the brands individually and the even greater potential they have together.” He framed the pairing explicitly as a development tool for faster returns.

“By combining Papa Murphy's and Pinkberry … or some of the other less labor-intensive concepts, we're creating a differentiated concept that gives owners greater flexibility while delivering a convenient, high-quality experience for guests. These brands in particular pair well together and also offset each other seasonally, which will greatly assist in growth and a faster ROI in the future for candidates that wish to explore co-brands as ways to develop new stores with either brand,” Zandi said.

Franchisee Joshua Kimzey pointed to the unit-level economics directly: the model creates “obvious financial benefits, like shared overhead costs and the ability to cross-train employees.” He added: “Just as valuable is being able to offer something for everyone, at any time of the day. It really becomes a destination.”

Why is MTY doing this now?

Papa Murphy’s, with nearly 1,000 locations across the U.S., Canada and the United Arab Emirates, is MTY’s largest brand — but it is shrinking. The chain’s footprint is more than 20% smaller than it was in 2020, according to Technomic, and in July MTY CEO Eric Lefebvre said the company will close another 45 to 50 locations.

Pinkberry is moving in the opposite direction. In 2025, its U.S. sales grew 3.2% and its unit count grew 5.1%, per Technomic data, making it the growth anchor in the pairing.

MTY has form with dual-brand formats. Its Kahala Brands unit announced a plan to open 17 co-branded Wetzel’s Pretzels and Cold Stone Creamery units this year, and the broader portfolio spans more than 80 chains and more than 7,000 locations worldwide, including Blimpie, TacoTime, Planet Smoothie, Sweet Frog and Cold Stone Creamery.

The co-branding push comes as MTY’s overall business softens. Same-store sales declined 1.9% in the third quarter, including a 2.7% decline in the U.S., which accounts for the majority of sales. Reporting those results last week, Lefebvre hinted the company could shed weaker-performing chains to “optimize its portfolio of brands.”

“Everything is for sale if the price is right,” he said. “But there's no strong desire to divest of good brands.”

Whether the Papa Murphy’s-Pinkberry format can deliver the faster ROI MTY promises will get its first real-world read in Sunriver next month, with the West Haven location not arriving until summer 2027.