Piada Spotlight | Joel Mayo

Meet the man always on the go – Joel Mayo. He joined Team Piada more than seven years ago, and since then, he’s rolled out years of seasonal menu changes, opened more than twenty new Piada restaurants and moved across the country twice for various career opportunities with Piada. Joel is currently a Regional Training Chef in our Minnesota market and travels often.

During his time as an RTC, Joel has overseen more than two dozen restaurants. He’s a valuable member of the Team and has spent time in Dayton, Dallas, College Station and Minneapolis. Joel is a disciplined Chef, fantastic mentor and incredible asset to our team.

“I've built so many relationships during my time at Piada. Moving around and opening so many restaurants, I've met a lot of amazing people and have worked side-by-side with them. It’s been fulfilling to watch these individuals grow in their own careers. It’s a great feeling when they attribute some of their success to my coaching.

Joel is a natural leader. From his easygoing and approachable demeanor to his methodical and lead-by-example coaching ability, it’s no wonder why he’s been chosen time and time again to share his knowledge and skillset with countless teams within the organization. A productive, impactful day at work keeps his spirits high, especially because he knows that effort won’t go unnoticed.

“I like working at Piada because I enjoy the thought that goes into the food. I also love the passion for Piada’s people. I've always felt supported in my journey here and appreciate that I have the ability to write my own ticket. I’ve put forth a lot of work to get to where I'm at, and it's awesome to be recognized for my efforts. A lot of companies sell you that dream, but how often do they actually deliver?”

Joel appreciates the satisfaction of a hard day’s work. He knows that when he puts forth his best and shows up for his Team, only good can come of it.

“Self-development keeps me motivated and driven. I've always been one to try and teach myself many things and I've always been my hardest critic as well, which could contribute to some of the success that I've had. What makes me happy is knowing I’ve had an impact, even if it's just making a Team Member better at rolling a Piada. However small, that's still an impact I've made on the company, our Guests and that Team Member on a personal level.”

As a competitive individual, one skill that Joel attributes his success to is knowing when to ask for help.

“I tend to compare myself to other people so if someone's doing something better than me I'm really going to focus on that area and do what I can to make myself even better. At the same time, I'm not afraid to ask for help. If there's a problem I’m struggling with, I’m never too proud to reach out to someone who's more experienced and get their input.”

As Joel reflects on his time at Piada, the people he’s met, the places he’s been and the things he’s learned, one of the skills he’ll take with him the rest of his life is his adaptability.

“You just kind of roll with the punches. That’s always been how the restaurant industry is. Being able to take the best from it and get a buy-in from your Team is vital. You have to be able to change with the times, overcome different challenges and find unique solutions. I always try to stay positive and make the best out of situations, as opposed to stressing out or letting it get me down. Besides that, knowing how to make a good tomato sauce is something that I’ve picked up as well. I love making tomato sauce from scratch at home, whether it be for lasagna or spaghetti. I’ll definitely use that the rest of my life.”