Uncle Maddio's opening second pizza location

Uncle Maddio's, a "fast casual" pizza chain, is opening its second Charlotte-area franchise with a pizza giveaway on Saturday, July 12 in Huntersville.

The restaurant is in Huntersville's NorthCross Shopping Center. The grand opening on Saturday will feature free nine-inch pizzas from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here's how Atlanta-based Uncle Maddio's describes itself (think Chipotle, but with pizza): "Uncle Maddio’s is a build your own kind of pizza place that appeals to all customer types. Pick your size from six inch, nine inch, medium or large; select your crust (all made fresh daily in house) regular, whole wheat or gluten free; select a chef driven pizza such as Steak and Blue and Big Max or select your own toppings from almost 50 different fresh vegetables, cheeses and meats with many of them locally sourced, some organic and all chopped daily in the restaurant."

 The company is growing rapidly, with plans to expand from 21 to more than 200 units over the coming years. In Charlotte, franchisee Jerry Licari recently opened the city's first Uncle Maddio's in Overstreet Mall uptown, and plans to open a total of eight stores.

"Our loyal customers in our downtown Charlotte Overstreet Mall location continue to encourage us to expand our presence throughout the metro area,” said Licari, in a statement.