Houston’s Charter Franchise Group hired to develop Luciano brand

San Antonio, TX - The Luciano family of restaurants, a well-known family-owned enterprise in San Antonio with 11 restaurants, cafes, pizzarias and quick service locations in Texas and Nevada, has hired Houston-based Charter Franchise Group to begin franchising the legendary brand.

C. Keith Hudson, President of the Houston-based Charter Franchise Services, says his firm has begun the extensive process of creating a franchise and selling two of the Centofanti family’s popular and successful concepts to franchisees.

Well known to San Antonio residents for 25 years, the family’s history in the United States goes back more than 30 years ago, when the Centofanti family left Naples, Italy to come and settled in Pennsylvania where they opened a restaurant. It was a family restaurant - both for families and family-run, so with the restaurant business in their blood, sons Gennaro and Luciano followed the tradition. They opened their first store in 1971, and in 1984, began the Luciano restaurant brand from their company headquarters in San Antonio. There are four different Italian concepts, but only two are being franchised, Luciano’s Express and Luciano’s Neighborhood Pizzeria.

The Luciano’s Express concept started as mall food court location and has since expanded to five locations, including one in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Luciano’s Neighborhood Pizzeria concept was launched in 2007, featuring an open kitchen, an array of fresh salads, panini sandwiches, fresh baked breads, soups and a variety of pizzas as well as homemade calzones, stromboli, sausage rolls, lasagne, and a variety of cooked to order pastas.

Founded by Hudson, Charter Franchise Services - www.charterfranchisegroup.com - is one of a very few full-service franchising companies in South and Midwest. Among its current clients are La Paletera, with nearly three dozen locations open or under development in Texas and Louisiana; the famed Burger House in Dallas and Berripop in Houston.

Hudson is one of a select group of national business men and women to achieve the title of Certified Franchise Executive through the prestigious Institute of Certified Franchise Executives. He currently serves on the IFA’s Franchise Political Action Committee and on its Membership Committee.