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With a background in operations management at E.J.’s Appliance Repair and even ministry work, Montgomery County native Mike Williams might not seem like your typical pizza business owner. 

However, as the co-owner of Maka Mia Pizza alongside his wife, Dana, Williams has felt the positive impact of Clark Countians. 

“This community has just welcomed us…like we were family,” he said.

Maka Mia Pizza moved into its newest location at 44 S. Main Street in April, culminating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce. 

While pizza and specialty pizzas – including a 10” cauliflower thin crust option and barbecue bacon chicken pizza option – are understandably popular sellers, they’re far from the only item one might find on the menu. 

The lineup also included hoagies, subs, cheesy breadsticks, pretzel bites, traditional wings, pasta bowls, and more. 

“We sell a lot of pizzas, but I couldn’t pick out one particular pizza that [is] the most popular,” he said. “Our chicken hoagies are probably the most popular.” 

The fact that Maka Mia Pizza stayed open during summer events, such as the Beer Cheese Festival and Rock the Block concerts, has helped the business grow. 

“We created a Beer Cheese Hoagie that was…named after our bloodhound [dog], Gus. We’ve got his picture on the menu, and we’re proud of that,” Williams added. “We do [really] well during [festivals]. We stay open as late as the festival goes on…it’s made a big difference!” 

Yet that’s not all. 

Thanks to Mike and Dana’s Ice Cream, named after the couple, guests can also have dessert. 

They’ll be able to choose among eight flavors – chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, vanilla, fat-free vanilla with no sugar added, rainbow sherbet, chocolate chip cookie dough, and scooper hero. 

“We named it Mike and Dana’s because, with that, we didn’t have to get another LLC,” he said, noting that ice cream was added about three weeks ago. “We needed more seating…because we were staying full over there all the time.” 

While Williams has seen much success in Clark County, plans for expansion continue moving forward. 

“We plan to open four of these up,” he said. “We want to put one in Paris…after that, probably Mount Sterling and then Georgetown.” 

Williams continues to put customer service at the forefront. 

“We’re probably the only restaurant in town where you can feed a family of four for less than thirty dollars,” he said. “[People will] be treated with respect here, and they’ll be loved every time they come in.”