Building on their success with Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint, Charlotte, North Carolina franchise partners Jerry Licari and Tim Verhagen are expanding market penetration with the fast-casual pizza concept.

Increasing their franchise development agreement, Licari and Verhagen are securing the rights to franchise eight Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint locations throughout Charlotte, including neighborhoods such as South Charlotte, Plaza Midwood, Myers Park, South Park, and surrounding suburbs such as Ballantyne, Mooresville, and Davidson.

The second Charlotte-area Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint location will open in mid-June in Huntersville, North Carolina. To celebrate the newest Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint opening, Uncle Maddio’s will serve free 9-inch, any three topping, fully-customizable pizzas to all customers in line from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on opening day.

A third location is slated to open in late 2014 or early 2015. Franchisees since 2010, Licari and Verhagen were one of the first Uncle Maddio's franchisees and own and operate Charlotte's first Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint location in Uptown Charlotte, which is operating the concept's breakfast-pizza pilot.

"Working with the Uncle Maddio's team for the past four years has been a remarkable business achievement for Tim and me," Licari says. "The secret is out. Uncle Maddio's provides a sound-business investment and remarkable team support. As the chain continues to grow, we want our business to also expand as Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint franchisees throughout the Charlotte metro region."

Along with Uncle Maddio's, Licari and Verhagen operate the first system-wide location testing a new breakfast menu for Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint featuring breakfast pizzas, paninis, and breakfast calzones. The Uncle Maddio's breakfast menu was introduced in late 2013 at the 101 South Tryon Street location in Charlotte's Overstreet Mall.