Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint is diving into 2014 with aggressive growth and new market penetration. Since opening its first location more than five years ago in Atlanta, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint grew by 250 percent in 2013 (from 7 to 18 units) and is now the fastest growing create-your-own pizza franchise. Opening the first Uncle Maddio's locations in Texas, Alabama, and Colorado will be just the start, as the company is poised to open 35 new locations before the end of the year.

Currently operating 18 units in six states, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the company has 165 units in development in 14 states overall.

"During my tenure as president and cofounder of Moe's Southwest Grill, we opened 375 restaurants in six years with 200 additional units in development," says chief pizza maker Matt Andrew. "Uncle Maddio's franchise opportunities are on-target with consumer demand offering healthy, fresh food that is always made-to-order, with exclusive sauces and toppings hand-crafted from scratch daily."

The Atlanta-based franchise began as a way to marry the popular fast-casual restaurant concept and pizza. A culinary company at its core, the Uncle Maddio’s menu features recipes originated in-house and made on-site. Led by corporate executive chef Alex Cook, the company prides itself on providing more than 5 million choices. Bringing his expertise from work in restaurants in Little Italy in New York City, chef Cook developed customized recipes for features such as Uncle Maddio’s meatballs, sausage, and six homemade sauces.

“True to our pizza joint namesake, here at Uncle Maddio's, we serve fresh ingredients and the highest-quality foods,” Cook says. “Our sauces are homemade, many made using San Marzano-style tomatoes, and hand-whisked with an assortment of fine herbs and extra virgin olive oil.”