QSRmagazine.com -Forbes has called it one of 10 hot new chains from established brands, and most recently it was named a 2013 Top 50 Restaurant Brand of the Year. But it was one fateful lunch during a business trip to Texas that hooked Michael Understein on Pie Five Pizza Co.

As the first franchise owner to introduce the celebrated fast-casual Pie Five Pizza Co. concept to North Carolina, Understein's sole focus is to bring Pie Five's great-tasting pizzas topped with the freshest ingredients, baked and ready to eat in five minutes to residents in the Charlotte-North Carolina area.

While traveling in Dallas, he was introduced to the brand as he searched for a good lunch stop and walked into a Pie Five restaurant. One meal, and he was ready to open restaurants. Continue