Toco Hill's Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint has had its share of struggles in a dim economy over the last several years, but, for the most part, business has been good, the restaurant's owner said last week.

The pizza business is essentially recession-proof, Matt Andrew told Neighbor Newspapers.

From the story:

The pizza restaurant started in January 2009 in the Toco Hills Shopping Center in Druid Hills.

“We opened then, when the [economic] floor fell out,” he said. “We came out of the gate with guns blazing.”

Although he said they had to “weather the storm through the economy,” he considers the pizza business to be somewhat recession proof because people do not usually make it at home. He said Uncle Maddio’s is similar to Moe’s, where customers watch employees build salads, paninis and pizzas in front of them.

Read the rest of the story for more information. The story includes interviews from several Atlanta-area restauranteurs who say the key to staying in business in a poor economic climate is local loyalty.