It operates as a franchise under the banner of Home Grown Industries, Inc. of Georgia, with 170 locations throughout the United States.

Mellow Mushroom restaurants specialize in pizza but also serve calzones, hoagies, salads, appetizers, such as pretzel bites and a wide beer selection.

Some restaurants occasionally feature live music, trivia competitions, karaoke, or bingo.

Beginning in 2000, the franchise expanded outside college markets to urban areas such as Jacksonville, Florida and Denver, Colorado.

The visual identity of Mellow Mushroom Pizza was defined during their early franchising phase by Atlanta artist Buddy Finethy.