Fra Diavolo: Speed or Control in Global Expansion?

Silvia Carnini Pulino, Davide Ebraheem, Laiba Ashfaq, Matilde Pederzani

Product #:W51489

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:Entrepreneurship, International Business

Setting:Italy, 2025

Details:Case (PDF) • 10 pages • 2026-09-29

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The Italian fast-casual pizza chain Fra Diavolo was founded in 2018 based on a highly standardized operating model that including centralized dough production, digital monitoring systems, and controlled processes. The company soon grew to over 30 locations across Italy, with a market presence in Miami, Florida, United States. In 2025, the company faced a critical strategic decision regarding its next phase of growth. Two primary options were under consideration. The first option was to expand its US presence using a geographically focused gradual rollout strategy. The second option was to enter multiple Asian markets simultaneously through a single partner that was capable of rapidly scaling the concept across several Asian countries. The company’s founders had to make a decision on the best expansion path for their company.

Learning Objectives

This case is suitable for undergraduate and early graduate courses in international business, international entrepreneurship, and global strategy. The product category is highly familiar to students, which tends to facilitate engagement and discussion. In particular, students often bring strong views on pricing, product quality, and consumer preferences, which can be leveraged to explore the feasibility and implications of different international expansion strategies. The case can also be used to introduce and apply selected strategy frameworks related to international expansion. In particular, it lends itself to discussions of entry mode choice and partner selection, drawing on elements of the Uppsala model of incremental internationalization and the cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic (CAGE) framework to assess geographic distance, organizational readiness, and market-specific risks. More broadly, the case allows instructors to connect these two frameworks to the practical challenges of scaling a business model across diverse markets. After completion of this case, students will be able to accomplish the following objectives:

Evaluate whether the capabilities that drive a company’s domestic success constitute a transferable and sustainable competitive advantage in international markets.
Analyze alternative international expansion strategies, comparing gradual, regionally focused growth with rapid, multi-market expansion.
Assess the role of partners in enabling and constraining international growth, including trade-offs among local market knowledge, hospitality expertise, franchising capabilities, operational control, and growth speed.
Evaluate the organizational capabilities required to transition from domestic growth to international expansion, particularly in fast-growing entrepreneurial firms with limited managerial capacity.
Formulate and defend a strategic recommendation under uncertainty, balancing growth opportunities, execution risks, organizational readiness, and long-term competitive positioning.