Ohio-based Donatos Pizza has signed a new multi-unit franchise agreement in the Charlotte area. Mitch Bratton and his team have plans to bring a spot to the Huntersville area by the end of the year, Bratton told What Now Charlotte.
Bratton first became acquainted with the brand around 2019, when he and his family began to frequent Donatos when it had a location in the SouthPark area. That location later closed.
“I decided at that point that if Donatos ever returned to Charlotte that I would gladly be on the forefront of bringing the franchise back to Charlotte,” Bratton said.
The team is in the early stages of development, focusing on finding sites. After the opening planned for later this year, the team hopes to open several additional locations in the Charlotte market, focusing on regions stretching from Mooresville to Waxhaw and SouthPark.
Donatos is known for its Edge to Edge pizzas, and it serves subs, salads, wings, desserts and calzatos. There are also gluten-free options on the menu.
The only other location currently open in the Charlotte area is in Fort Mill. That location is operated by a separate ownership group. That ownership group is seeking expansion in the South Carolina region of the Charlotte market, vice president of development and franchising Jeff Baldwin told What Now Charlotte. Donatos also has a partnership with Red Robin, meaning their pizzas are present on the menu there, including in the Charlotte region.
Baldwin said that while they have Red Robin partner locations throughout North Carolina, Donatos is looking to expand with further franchise agreements to build their standalone brick-and-mortar presence in the area. They are currently searching for new franchisees throughout the Triad and Triangle regions, as well.
“The system really comes to life with local owners and operators who know the community, who understand how the community runs and are really integrated into those communities and invested in those communities,” Baldwin said. “Those are our best operators because we are a very local business when it comes to our customer base. When we have a local operator who’s really invested in the local community and can bring a great product and great tasting pizza into a local community, that’s how it really works. So that’s what we have with this new deal in Huntersville.”
Bratton shares this vision for community involvement, hoping to become a key member of the region when they open.
“One thing that is a staple with Donatos is that they are very involved with the community,” Bratton said. “That’s something I’d like to continue here. I’d also like to continue the food quality.”
