LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 27, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kentuckians love their pizza. But in a few short months, everything they thought they knew about getting their own perfect, individualized pizza will change. For the better.
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Pie Five Pizza Co., a subsidiary of Pizza Inn Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZI ), announced today that it has awarded 10 franchise units to Lonnie and Connie Young and Curt and Carrie Currell, who will bring the trend-setting concept to the greater Louisville (including the five Indiana border counties) and Lexington markets.
The successful restaurateurs previously owned and operated a dozen McAlister's Deli locations in Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina.
"Fast casual concepts are sweeping the nation, and it's becoming very clear that Pie Five is setting the standard in the pizza space," said Lonnie Young. "They have a winning business model as well as an outstanding leadership team committed to the success of its franchisees. We couldn't be more excited about bringing Pie Five to Kentucky."
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.
"As we continue our expansion across the nation, we've been capturing the attention of many outstanding restaurant operators that recognize the game-changing potential of Pie Five," said Madison Jobe, chief development officer for Pie Five. "Lonnie and Curt are exactly the kind of franchise partners we are looking for. They know the local market, they've produced great results in the fast-casual space and they understand the key to success is delivering a consistent, high-quality product to every guest every time."
At Pie Five, 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 expanding chain is capitalizing on growing consumer demand for fresh dining options and artisan pizzas in stylish environments without the wait.
"We were fortunate to get in early with McAlister's, and we're even more excited to join the team at Pie Five at this early stage as well," said Young. "We believe the chain is poised for explosive growth, and we hope that getting in on the ground floor – along with several other great operators – will give us an opportunity to influence the direction of the brand going forward."
Pie Five currently has 11 locations in Texas and one each in Kansas, North Carolina and Utah. The addition of the Louisville and Lexington markets brings the total announced franchise restaurants under contract to 105 in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
Young said he plans to open his first restaurant in Louisville no later than the first quarter of 2014.
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 .
Ladd Biro, Champion Management 972.930.9933;
