Uncle Maddio's Pizza, the create-your-own fast-casual pizza franchise, signed its first franchisee for Tampa, Florida. Mike Mateo will open an Uncle Maddio’s in the summer in Northgate Square located at 3949 Van Dyke Road, Lutz, Florida. This will be the first of five Tampa area locations for the growing pizza franchise. Uncle Maddio’s currently has five Florida restaurants in Panama City, Tallahassee, Ocala, and Jacksonville with three more scheduled to open in 2016 in Tampa, Sarasota, and Orlando.

Uncle Maddio’s is a next generation pizza restaurant that lets guests build their own pizza exactly how they want it. The pizza is cooked in fast-baked ovens and served to their tables in about six minutes. Guests choose from one of three crusts, including a delicious gluten-free option, and 48 toppings, including six sauces, 27 vegetables, and 15 meats. Everything is fresh, from the pizza dough and sauce that’s made in-store each day to the wide variety of veggies. For guests looking to expand their pizza horizons, Uncle Maddio’s also offers signature pizzas ranging from the Spicy Italian to Portobello Pesto. Create-your-own salads and toasted Foldwich sandwiches round out the Italian-inspired menu. The restaurant also offers a selection of craft beers and wine.

“My daughter introduced me to Uncle Maddio’s after frequenting the Tallahassee restaurant as a student,” says Mike Mateo, Uncle Maddio’s Tampa franchisee. “The fresh ingredients with the option to personalize your pizza, as well as the fresh salads and our unique Foldwich sandwiches in a friendly atmosphere, convinced me it was a good investment to make in the fast-casual segment.”

Mateo, a former division vice president for ATM technology company Diebold, retired in 2013 and has been looking for his next career move since then. He spent over three decades working in the banking and retail environment where he was responsible for overseeing 21 countries throughout South America, the Caribbean, and Central America. He and his wife Ada, a former banker, joined the Uncle Maddio’s team because they want to give back to their local Tampa community by mentoring young people and contributing to the vibrant Tampa restaurant community.

After attending from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, Mateo completed executive education programs at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and the Kelly School of Business at the Indiana University. He also served in the United States Marine Corps where he was a non-commission officer.

“Mike had a long, successful career in business and managed close to 3,000 people,” says CEO Matt Andrew. “That kind of customer interface, operations, and finance experience, along with leadership skills, make for a great franchisee and is the just the type of person we look for in our franchise partnerships.”

Since launching its aggressive growth plan in 2008, Uncle Maddio's has signed franchise agreements with 65 different entities in 19 states. Many of Uncle Maddio's franchisees have previous multiunit experience with Jimmy John's, Firehouse Subs, Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, Burger King, Krystal, Papa John's, Domino's, and Golden Corral. Uncle Maddio's is on track to have 250 restaurants open in five years. Recently, Uncle Maddio’s received significant investments from longtime restaurant entrepreneurs S&S Group and Atlanta lawyer and businessman Rutherford Seydel. Read more about his investment here.

Franchising, News, Pizza, Uncle Maddio's