A slice of hospitality

It’s lunchtime rush at Maka Mia Pizza as hungry customers crowd the front counter of the South Main Street eatery. The air is filled with the smell of pizza, hoagies and pretzel bites while the phone buzzes and the cash register beeps. It’s organized chaos, but that doesn’t stop owner Mike Williams from greeting each customer and delivering their food personally. It’s how he shows his love for the community.

“I got the best customers in this county, and it’s because I interact with all of them,” he said. “I try to shake hands with everybody that comes in through that door. I make myself accessible to everybody and try to make everybody feel at home . . . and that’s not an act.”

Bryson Passarella is a frequent, and happy, customer. “I think Mike is a good representation of Southern hospitality,” he said. “He kind of acts like everyone’s Grandpa.”

His fellow local business owners agree. “He is just genuinely a good person,” said Amanda Adams, owner of Hamilton Brooks, who is a fan of the restaurant’s pretzel bites and beer cheese.  “I know I can call him at any time and he would drop whatever he had and come and help me.”

Williams, 63, grew up in nearby Jeffersonville, where he was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. His grandfather, John, was a role model for him as well as other members of his community.

“My grandfather taught me how to drive a nail, drive a truck, shoot a gun, and that Jesus Christ was the lord of all,” he said.

Williams is a U.S. Army veteran and has had several vocations, including performing as a stand-up comedian, before he opened Maka Mia Pizza in 2023. The name is a riff on the phrase “Make me a pizza.” Williams met his wife, Dana, 25 years ago. Since then, she has been a key figure in his life, including at Maka Mia. She often visits the business and bakes cookies that are sold at the store.

At his place, the name might as well mean “Make me a friend.” And that goes both ways for the business owner and his customers.
Williams doesn’t hesitate when asked what he loves most about running Maka Mia.

“It’s the people,” he said. “I’ve met thousands and thousands of people in my life. Some of the kindest people in the world live out here.”