• Home:
• News:
• Pie Five Pizza Co.:

Florida Entrepreneur/Philanthropist Doubles Down on Pie Five Pizza Investment

By: Pie Five Pizza Co. |  1,023 Shares     91 Reads

Fast-Casual Chain Awards 15 Additional Franchise Units to
L. Gale Lemerand

THE COLONY, Texas - June 26, 2013 // GLOBE NEWSWIRE // - One of Florida's most successful entrepreneurs is expanding his new pizza franchise footprint before the first location has even been completed.

Pie Five Pizza Co., a subsidiary of Pizza Inn Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:PZZI), has awarded an additional 15 franchise units to L. Gale Lemerand, bringing the total agreement to 25 restaurants in the state of Florida. The initial 10-unit agreement was announced in late-March.

Lemerand is moving quickly to introduce the trend-setting fast-casual pizza concept to the state, and has hired former Carrabbas executive John Tintsman as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to support the expansion. The franchisee's first unit is projected to open in late 2013. The expanded agreement now covers the Orlando, Gainesville, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine and Jacksonville markets.

"I believe Florida is an ideal market for the Pie Five brand, which is why I've doubled-down on my investment," said Lemerand, the sole owner or partner in 29 successful restaurants across Florida. "Not only is the food quality, consistency and preparation time outstanding, but the company has an impressive infrastructure, world-class leadership, deep institutional knowledge and a top-notch operating model that will help us prosper."

Pie Five has been named a 2013 Top 50 Restaurant Brand of the Year, a 2012 Hot Concepts winner by Nation's Restaurant News and one of "10 Hot New Restaurant Chains from Established Brands" by Forbes.com.

"We simply couldn't have asked for a better franchise partner in Florida than Gale," said Madison Jobe, chief development officer for Pie Five. "Gale's success speaks for itself, and we are thrilled that he thinks so highly of the Pie Five concept that he's already decided to more than double his planned footprint in the state."

Lemerand's current dining network includes 17 Stonewood Grill & Tavern restaurants, five Peach Valley Cafe locations, four Houligan's sports bars, as well as Perkins Family Restaurant and Bakery, Ormond Wine Company and a tapas restaurant called The Dish.

At Pie Five Pizza, guests can choose from more than a million combinations of handcrafted pizzas and a variety of specialty pie choices prepared in less than five minutes on one of four crusts. The rapidly growing chain is capitalizing on growing consumer demand for fresh dining options and artisan pizzas in stylish environments without the wait.

Pie Five currently has 10 locations in Texas, one location in Utah and franchise agreements for another 52 restaurants to date in Utah; Charlotte, North Carolina; Florida; and Kansas City.

About Pie Five Pizza Co.

Pie Five is a subsidiary of Pizza Inn Holdings, Inc., headquartered in the Dallas suburb of The Colony, Texas. Pizza Inn Holdings, Inc. is an owner, franchisor and supplier of a system of restaurants operating domestically and internationally. Pie Five Pizza Co. is a fast-casual concept offering individual pizzas made to order and cooked in less than five minutes. Founded in 1958, publicly traded Pizza Inn Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:PZZI) franchises approximately 300 restaurants and directly owns and operates 14 restaurants. For more information, please visit www.piefivepizza.com.

Contact:

Ladd Biro
Champion Management
972.930.9933
lbiro@championmgt.com

###

Comments:

comments powered by Disqus