Papa Murphy’s and Pinkberry have signed three co-brand franchise agreements across Oregon, New Mexico and Utah, expanding a shared-location model that combines take-and-bake pizza with frozen yoghurt. The deals cover a new restaurant in Sunriver, Oregon, the addition of Pinkberry to an existing Papa Murphy’s outlet in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a new co-branded location in West Haven, Utah.
Announced on October 7, 2026, the agreements bring together two brands owned by Canadian restaurant operator MTY Food Group. The strategy allows franchisees to operate both concepts from one location, potentially reducing occupancy and operating costs while creating additional sales opportunities through complementary food offerings.
In Sunriver, Joshua and Samantha Kimzey will open their first co-branded restaurant, with the launch expected in early November 2026. The location will pair Papa Murphy’s pizzas, which customers bake at home, with Pinkberry’s frozen yoghurt and toppings. The franchisees see shared overheads and cross-trained employees as advantages of combining the two businesses under one roof.
In Santa Fe, John Perea will expand his existing Papa Murphy’s restaurant by adding Pinkberry. Perea has owned the Papa Murphy’s location since 2010 and is using the agreement to introduce a second brand without opening a separate standalone restaurant. He cited the seasonal differences between the two concepts as a key consideration. The combined business is expected to employ eight to 10 team members.
The third agreement involves Casey Kauer, who already operates five Papa Murphy’s restaurants in Utah. He plans to open a new co-branded outlet in West Haven in summer 2027, extending his existing franchise operations through the addition of Pinkberry.
“The early responses to our co-brand concept reinforce the strength of these brands individually and the even greater potential they have together,” said Ray Zandi, Vice-President of US development at MTY Food Group.
Zandi said the model could also accommodate other concepts within MTY’s portfolio, including sweetFrog, giving franchisees further opportunities to combine brands and share operating resources.
The co-branding approach is intended to help franchisees serve different customer occasions while making more efficient use of their premises and workforce. Papa Murphy’s focuses on take-and-bake pizza, allowing customers to purchase uncooked pizzas and bake them at home, while Pinkberry operates in the premium frozen-yoghurt segment, offering customised desserts with a range of toppings.
The combination could help operators balance seasonal demand and broaden their customer base without maintaining two entirely separate restaurants. However, the performance of each location will depend on local demand, site suitability and the ability to manage both concepts within a shared operation.
Papa Murphy’s has nearly 1,000 franchised and company-operated locations across the United States, alongside international operations in markets including Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1981 through the combination of two regional pizza businesses, the brand has built its identity around the take-and-bake format.
Pinkberry was founded in 2005 and expanded through a franchise model built around premium frozen yoghurt and customisable toppings. Both brands are part of MTY Food Group, which acquired Papa Murphy’s in 2019 and operates a broad portfolio of restaurant concepts.
The three agreements add to MTY’s efforts to explore multi-brand development as a way to create new growth opportunities for franchisees. With openings planned in Oregon and Utah and an existing restaurant in New Mexico being expanded, the deals provide three different examples of the model: a first-time co-branded operation, an addition to an established restaurant and an expansion by an experienced multi-unit franchisee.
