Snowbirds, summer beach vacationers, and residents alike will soon enjoy the first Uncle Maddio's Pizza in North Port, Florida. Slated to host its grand opening May 14, the handcrafted pizza restaurant is located at Cocoplum Villages at 16979 Tamiami Trail and has 2,600 square feet with 80 inside seats and booths and 32 seats outside on fenced patio with shade. On Saturday, May 14, Uncle Maddio’s will serve free 9-inch, build-your-own, three-topping pizza to guests in line from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and also feature a live band and $2 beer and wine specials in the evening.
On Sunday, May 15 children eat free from 11 a.m. to 1 pm. On both Saturday and Sunday children’s activities will include a bounce house, balloon artists, and a magician. Uncle Maddio’s will be making pizza donations to local youth soccer and softball teams in the North Port area, and to the local North Port fire departments and police departments.
“There is not another fast-casual pizza place for 15 miles, so we are filling a much needed gap in the fast-casual dining scene, providing quality ingredients, served in about six minutes for an affordable price,” says Risé Johnson, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza franchisee. “In addition to North Port, we believe that the restaurant will attract guests from the entire East Coast of Florida including Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Arcadia, Venice and Englewood, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, and Cape Coral.”
Risé and her husband Leighton relocated from Tallahassee to start their encore career as franchisees. They, along with Risé’s sister, Marsan, and with support from Marsan’s husband Terry who is the fire captain of Moultrie, Georgia, have signed on to open five Uncle Maddio’s locations in the Sarasota-area. The families’ next Uncle Maddio’s restaurants are planned for Sarasota, north of University, Siesta Key, and Venice areas.
“The North Port restaurant will mark our first location in the Sarasota area and our sixth Florida Uncle Maddio’s,” says Matt Andrew, Uncle Maddio’s founder and CEO. “Florida is a state full of pizza lovers who want Uncle Maddio’s quality ingredients at an affordable price and served really fast.”
