Sure, the pizza category is a billion-dollar industry. But beneath that broad, billion-dollar umbrella, new markets are unfolding, including the fast-casual pizza business. Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint plans to corner that fast-casual pizza market.
“There’s delivery, sit-down, take out, and mom-and-pop pizza shops all across the country,” says Matt Andrew, Uncle Maddio’s founder and CEO. “We feel like there has been a shift in the way people want to enjoy their food, including pizza. Fast-casual has been a huge success for other categories. Uncle Maddio’s offers an option between delivery and casual dining, pizza that is every bit as delicious as any other, but now it’s fast and fresh.”
Uncle Maddio’s customers choose from three types of crusts, six sauces and 47 toppings, resulting in 3 million pizza combinations, all prepared fresh, in-house, and using locally-grown vegetables when possible. Customers get a customized pizza, ready in just six minutes. It’s fast, fresh and affordable.
“We’re giving our franchisees an opportunity to be in on the ground floor of the leading edge of a brand new food category: fast-casual pizza,” says Andrew. “Franchising success begins with a good product and smart concept, but you’ve got to have the right experience, solid franchisee support, and a consistent brand to really grab hold of the market share. Uncle Maddio’s has the whole package.” The Uncle Maddio’s executive management team has a combined 50 years of experience in the restaurant industry.
“We’re giving our franchisees an opportunity to be in on the ground floor of the leading edge of a brand new food category: fast-casual pizza.”
Great franchisees for Uncle Maddio’s have both restaurant and business experience, along with a drive for success and the ability to follow the company’s strategy and plans. Andrew was co-founder of Moe’s Southwest Grill, so he knows first-hand how a franchisee’s success depends on how well he follows a company’s expansion strategy.
“Franchisees also have to be the cheerleaders on the ground, anchoring their business to the community,” says Andrew. “The best owners/operators are those who are involved with both the community and the business.
“Uncle Maddio’s management provides extensive training and support, including a three-week ‘deep dive’ into all aspects of the business, followed by seven days in a unit bootcamp, where we go over opening the store, training the crew, managing a team, and how to run an Uncle Maddio’s successfully, through and including operations, crew development, marketing and promotional programs,” says Andrew. The company also assists investors with site selection, engineering, construction, floor design, equipment purchases and everything else it takes to run a successful store.
Uncle Maddio’s plans to grow with purpose and strategy. With a presence already in eight states, the company is targeting future growth in the Midwest. “We will build out major metropolitan markets in the Midwest states and surrounding areas, and then fill in,” says Andrew. At the end of the next five years, Uncle Maddio’s plans to have 175 stores opened.
No corporate stores exist or are planned. Andrew is a franchisee himself. “We are partners with our franchisees, truly, which is why they pay us a 5 percent royalty fee,” he says. “Our job is to make sure they are successful. The benefit to not having corporate stores is that we are always focused on supporting our franchisees’ success. There is no conflict of interest in trying to run company-owned stores while supporting our franchisees.”
Ultimately, Uncle Maddio’s wants to stand out on the strength of its food as well as its culture. “Our culture really is about serving with love,” says Andrew. “Serve each other with love, serve our franchisees with love, serve our customers with love. If we always come from the perspective of doing what is right for the other person, we’re running a great business.”
For more information about franchising opportunities with Uncle Maddio’s, visit unclemaddios.com