Pie Five Pizza Co., a subsidiary of Pizza Inn Holdings, announced that it has awarded 10 franchise units to Lonnie and Connie Young and Curt and Carrie Currell, who will bring the concept to the greater Louisville (including the five Indiana border counties) and Lexington, Kentucky, markets.
The restaurateurs previously owned and operated a dozen McAlister’s Deli locations in Kentucky, Indiana, and North Carolina.
“Fast-casual concepts are sweeping the nation, and it’s becoming very clear that Pie Five is setting the standard in the pizza space,” says Lonnie Young. “They have a winning business model, as well as an outstanding leadership team committed to the success of its franchisees. We couldn’t be more excited about bringing Pie Five to Kentucky.”
Madison Jobe, chief development officer for Pie Five, adds, “As we continue our expansion across the nation, we’ve been capturing the attention of many outstanding restaurant operators that recognize the game-changing potential of Pie Five.
“Lonnie and Curt are exactly the kind of franchise partners we are looking for,” she adds. “They know the local market, they’ve produced great results in the fast-casual space, and they understand the key to success is delivering a consistent, high-quality product to every guest every time.”
At Pie Five, guests can choose from more than a million combinations of handcrafted pizzas and a variety of specialty pie choices prepared in less than five minutes on one of four crusts.
The rapidly expanding chain is capitalizing on growing consumer demand for fresh dining options and artisan pizzas in stylish environments without the wait.
“We were fortunate to get in early with McAlister’s, and we’re even more excited to join the team at Pie Five at this early stage as well,” Young says. “We believe the chain is poised for explosive growth, and we hope that getting in on the ground floor—along with several other great operators—will give us an opportunity toinfluence the direction of the brand going forward.”
Pie Five has 11 locations in Texas and one each in Kansas, North Carolina, and Utah. The addition of the Louisville and Lexington markets brings the total announced franchise restaurants under contract to 105 in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
Young said he plans to open his first restaurant in Louisville no later than the first quarter of 2014.
