Customized Pizza Franchise to Open First North Carolina Location in the Raleigh Area This Fall
Your Pie, the originator of the down-the-line pizza category, is expanding its leading customized pizza concept. The brand is opening its first restaurant in the Raleigh, North Carolina area this fall, with plans to continue growing throughout the region from there.
“We’ve always viewed the Raleigh area as one of our prime targets because of its wide demographic and love for craft beer,” said Ken Caldwell, Your Pie’s Vice President of Development. “Your Pie appeals to so many different types of people because of the ability to customize your order. We can make every transaction a personal experience, and every guest can build something they love.”
Your Pie is teaming up with a local franchising expert to bring its brand to the Raleigh community. Jack Fladeland grew up in Mebane, North Carolina and went on to study business management at Appalachian State University. He then went to work with his dad, who owns four Subway restaurants in Mebane. Fladeland took over as manager of the stores after graduation, and he worked in all areas of the business, from hiring employees and setting schedules, to tallying inventory and even making sandwiches.
Fladeland always wanted to break into the franchising industry on his own, so he started researching different restaurant concepts. He narrowed in on the fast-casual pizza business and was immediately drawn to Your Pie after traveling around to different franchises to conduct his own taste tests. Your Pie’s delicious product and craft beer offering was impossible to beat, and Fladeland knew others in his community would get behind it.
“I like the stone ovens and the emphasis on quality,” said Fladeland. “I like that we make our own sauces and use fresh veggies. It’s a make-your-own pizza, down-the-line concept, but I think it’s something unique that’s really going to fit in around here.”
Your Pie’s proven business model also stood out to Fladeland. He talked to the brand’s leadership team, including Caldwell and founder Drew French and began to explore potential franchising opportunities. Right away he knew Your Pie had a special feel to it.
“It’s a company with a strong base and they’re willing to work with me,” said Fladeland.
Your Pie will be a family business for Fladeland. His father is a partner and his wife Alyssa will be helping out in the store after the birth of their first child this fall. But they won’t be limiting their business to just one location. Once their first Your Pie location is up and running, the Fladelands plan to expand their business to new locations across North Carolina.
“We have really high hopes for our first Your Pie,” said Fladeland. “If it opens like we expect it to, we plan to open another one by next year. We’re ultimately looking to open three to five locations in the next five or so years.”
Your Pie currently has 28 locations in nine states, and those numbers are only expected to rise throughout 2016. By the end of the year, the brand is aiming to open an additional 20 locations, and is targeting markets across North Carolina, including Charlotte and Durham, in that push. Additional target growth markets for the brand include Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina and Tampa and Orlando, Florida.
“It’s the perfect time for Your Pie to launch in North Carolina,” said Caldwell. “When you mix our concept with a family like the Fladelands, who bring years of franchising experience to the table, entering a new market is going to be successful. They know how to grow a business.”
Your Pie is the world’s originator of the quick-serve, brick-oven, customized personal pizza category. A culinary entrepreneur since his teenage years, Your Pie founder Drew French combined his passion for innovative restaurant concepts with brick oven technology to create the highest quality pizza available at incredible speed. Drawing from family recipes from the island of Ischia, Your Pie uses hand-tossed dough, only fresh ingredients, homemade pizza sauces and salad dressings, and offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free pizzas, as well as traditional pizzas. Customers who dine at Your Pie have come to expect the best tasting pizza served with speed without sacrificing flavor. Your Pie is a state of mind and the brand stands by its motto to “express your inner pizza”, investing in local communities and encouraging diners to let their culinary creativity run wild. For more information about Your Pie or franchising opportunities, please visit www.yourpie.com.
