Onlineathens.com - Atlanta-based investment firm Georgia Oak Partners recently dumped a million-plus dollars into Athens-based custom pizza franchise Your Pie, boosting expectations that the rapidly-growing company will operate 100 restaurants in the next three years.

David Barr, director for Georgia Oak Partners, said the investment was in the seven-digits and declined to elaborate. He said his company purchased the minority stake because it liked the idea of fast and casual custom pizzas. He noted the growth of similar fast-casual restaurants, such as Chipotle and Panera Bread, and said Your Pie’s concept similarly resonates with customers, predicting that it will eventually break out of the Southeast. Continue