ATLANTA Moe’s Southwest Grill chain, is betting that the customized service line he used to build a 390-unit burrito empire is transferable to pizza. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
On New Year’s Day, Andrew and his partner, Tony Lewis, debuted Maddio’s Pizza Joint here. Andrew calls Maddio’s a “New Italian” pizza joint. Customers are greeted by a pizza maker who offers a choice of dough, sauce and more than 48 toppings. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
“I’ve been incubating this idea for the past year,” Andrew said. “I asked myself: Why can’t we do with pizza what we did with burritos? The answer was: We can.” —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Lewis added, “The whole concept is made-to-order pizza, where the guest goes down the line and makes the pizza to order.” —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Prices start at $5.49 for an individual cheese pizza, and a pie with three toppings is $6.49. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
“It’s a real value place,” Lewis said. “Because of the economy, we really dialed in the price and paid a lot of attention to it.” —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Nine signature pizzas, such as a barbecued chicken with a tomato-basil sauce and cheese, onion and corn or a steak and blue cheese version, start at $7.49. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Lewis said the new Maddio’s restaurant occupies a former Mama Fu’s Noodle House location in the Toco Hill Shopping Center in the Emory University area of Atlanta. Maddio’s covers 3,500 square feet and has 91 seats inside and 50 on a patio. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Along with pizza, Maddio’s Pizza Joint also offers several toasted-sub sandwiches and salads. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
“You walk in and basically can create your own pizza,” said Andrew, president of Maddio’s Pizza Joint. “We got back to the roots of great pizza that’s made fresh and made to order. It’s like the Italian street vendors and their one-on-one relationship with the patron. It’s done in a fast, fun, theatrical way. It takes four to six minutes to make the pizza from ordering to delivering it to the table.” —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Salads and sandwiches also are delivered in that fast-casual service model. Maddio’s also serves beer and wine. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
The build-your-own-pizza line features whole-wheat and regular dough, a selection of sauces, ranging from tomato-basil and pesto to spicy Buffalo; various cheeses, including mozzarella, Gorgonzola, feta and ricotta; and vegetables such as artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers and such meats as chicken-apple sausage, jerk chicken and Canadian bacon. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
“It’s the old way adapted to 21st-century technology,” Andrew said. “It’s very clean. There’s a lot of stainless steel and white tile.” —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Andrew sold the 390-unit Moe’s, which had been a division of Atlanta-based Raving Brands, to Atlanta-based Focus Brands last year. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Lewis is a graduate of Cornell University who developed and later sold the Caribbean-influenced Bridgetown Grills in Atlanta and since 2001 has owned three Moe’s Southwest Grill franchised stores in Knoxville, Tenn., and Atlanta. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Maddio’s also serves a kids’ meal: a 6-inch pizza with one topping and a drink for $2.99. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
Andrew said the chicken and beef used on the pizzas are 99.9-percent hormone-free and vegetables are prepared daily. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual
“The customer will taste that we are not just another neighborhood pizzeria,” he said. —Matt Andrew, cofounder of the fast-casual