The Edgewood Retail District location of Atlanta-based Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint closed yesterday. The restaurant, which opened in early 2013 in a former Caribou Coffee, was reportedly owned by a single unit franchisee.
The restaurant explained their closure on their Facebook page saying:
"What happened was we ran out of money like ten other locations, not just the ones you mentioned [Toco/Druid Hills location closed, Ansley location closed, now Edgewood location closed]. A franchise cannot survive if it consistently is in the red. The entire time that we were open, we lost money. Think about that the next time the subject of small business comes up."
The restaurant explained their closure on their Facebook page saying:
"What happened was we ran out of money like ten other locations, not just the ones you mentioned [Toco/Druid Hills location closed, Ansley location closed, now Edgewood location closed]. A franchise cannot survive if it consistently is in the red. The entire time that we were open, we lost money. Think about that the next time the subject of small business comes up."
The Edgewood location received 38 reviews with a cumulative rating of three stars on Yelp.com with the following being my personal favorite:
5/12/2016 - Lauren H.
"Horrible customer service. Food isn't impressive either. We used to eat here on Thursdays because kids eat free with each adult meal. Now today they would only give us one kids meal even though we had 2 paying adults. No one is ever in here when we come at meal times either. Its obvious why. Don't waste your time at this place."
Comment from Chris F. of Uncle Maddios Pizza Joint Edgewood [Business Owner] 6/5/2016
"Thank you for your feedback. It is an honor to be your 48th one-star review. In the future, we will try to improve our "horrible customer service" by giving you more free food."
Uncle Maddio's was started in 2009 by Matt Andrew, former President of Moe's Southwest Grill. Andrew attempted to apply the same quick serve formula found in Moe's to Uncle Maddio's. Pizza is of course different than burritos and the brand has had stumbles in metro Atlanta and beyond.
Over the past twenty-four months, Uncle Maddio's locations have closed in midtown (Ansley Mall), Toco Hills (original), Alpharetta (Windward Parkway) Austin, Texas and Louisville, Kentucky.
The Buford location of Uncle Maddio's was recently sold by The Shumacher Group while the Kennesaw and Cumberland locations are currently being marketed for sale.
The troubles facing Uncle Maddio's come at a time when competition is mounting. The Colony, Texas-based Pie Five Pizza and Rancho Santa Margarita, California-based Pieology have both opened locations in metro Atlanta, each with more in the pipeline. Pasadena, California-based Blaze Pizza is also reportedly scouting the metro Atlanta area for new locations.
What is your favorite quick serve pizza eatery? Have you tried any of the new-to-market restaurants? What would you like to see open in place of Uncle Maddio's in the Edgewood Retail District?
Please share your thoughts below