STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Uncle Maddio's Pizza has signed its first franchisee for Tampa, Florida.
March 11, 2016
Uncle Maddio's Pizza has 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 in Lutz, Florida. This will be the first of five Tampa area locations for the 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, according to a company press release.
"My daughter introduced me to Uncle Maddio's after frequenting the Tallahassee restaurant as a student," Mateo said. "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, the release stated.
After attending 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 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," said Matt Andrew, CEO of Uncle Maddio's. "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."
