Interview with James Smethie, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: Opening up a pizza restaurant just fell into my lap. After I graduated from college, I worked for years in marketing. Marketing was not my passion — it was just another job to me. I always wanted to own a business some day, but I always thought of that day as being years away. My business partner came to me with an idea like Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint and it was a good opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We have two sayings here at Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint. The first — “Real Fast, Real Fresh, Real Pizza” — is what sets us apart from our competition. We keep all of our product fresh. We do not freeze anything. It really changes the flavor profile when you freeze and unfreeze products. My managers get to Maddio’s around 8 a.m. to start prepping for the day. We make the dough, cook the chicken and steak, and cut the vegetables for our line before we open. You can taste the flavor in every pizza. The second saying — “We Serve with Love” — also sets us apart. This is the customer service aspect. Every time we make a pizza or salad for a customer we keep this “serve with love” in mind and make sure the pizza is perfect. My manager, Netzer Katriel, describes the type of service we offer as “mother-in-law” service. We make sure the customer has the perfect experience from the time they enter our restaurant until they leave.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I thought I would like mentoring people and pushing people to be their best while they are at work, but I discovered the best part of my job is talking to the customers. I love listening to how much they love our pizza and staff. Almost every review I read mentions how great our pizza tastes and how friendly our staff is.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: We face the same challenge that most new restaurants face: getting people to try our pizza. We can serve the best product in the world, but if no one comes in to try us, then it doesn’t matter. We are in a really competitive market and people tend to stick to the big names that they know, but I am sure that, with our taste and customer service, we can win over the people of Aurora.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: We just signed a lease on a second location in Westminster at 120th Avenue and Huron Street. We are super excited to bring Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint to the people of Westminster.
Profile
Business: Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint
Address: 10601 E. Garden Drive, Suite 105
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Founded: 2010
Contact: 303-363-9075,
Employees: 20
