Muhammad Abdul-Habu making pizza at Down North Pizza in Philly but he’s also on a mission to help ... [+]
Winner of a 2024 James Beard Award for Leadership, Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, the founder and owner of Down North Pizza, who also started the non-profit Down North Foundation, breathes and lives Philadelphia. He was raised in West Philadelphia and understands what some people who have been in trouble need to do to bounce back; they need a steady paycheck and a dependable job.
At Down North Pizza, which debuted in 2022 and is located in north Philadelphia, Abdul-Hadi goes out of his way to hire formerly incarcerated people. Why? “Because recidivism plagues this part of North Philly and I wanted the business to be a benefit to the neighborhood,” he responds. He himself was previously incarcerated.
Abdul-Hadi tapped his own money to open Down North Pizza; he has no investors or partners. His pizza shop covers 1,200-square feet and accommodates 8 to 10 people. It specializes in serving, what else but, “Philly-style pizza,” he says.
He describes his Philly pizza as “less dense than other pizzas. We don’t use Wisconsin cheese, but a blend of four other cheeses.” Also on the menu are wings and a full vegan menu with items such as cauliflower wings because so many of his guests were “moving in a vegan direction.” About 30% of its business stems from off premises sales done by third-party deliverers.
Everyone of his 8 employees is formerly incarcerated. And each does a variety of tasks from making pizza to serving customers.
What special skills from an employee does he require to hire a former prisoner? “As long as they are willing to learn, we are willing to give them a shot,” he replies. Once a staff member is hired, they go through training that involves learning culinary skills and life skills training as well.
An article in Philly Voice noted that it also provides “employees with resources like legal representation, transportation and even provides housing with two apartments above the pizzeria available for workers.”
A pizza shop owner in Philadelphia is on a mission to help formerly incarcerated people, run a successful business, and improve the neighborhood.
People who spend time in prison are exposed to so many setbacks that they learn to be “resilient,” he explains. They learn to restore their mental fortitude. And once they are released from prison, they become in Abdul-Hadi’s view, “the most dedicated and responsible people.”
Most employees react positively to being given a second chance. “It gives them the necessary confidence to enter the workforce,” he says.
But Abdul-Hadi is also an entrepreneur, running a profit-making business. Hiring them boosts his business as well.
That’s because most customers have been highly supportive of his hiring formerly incarcerated employees. “They love the idea of giving second chances,” Abdul-Hadi notes. And it strengthens the North Philly neighborhood by cutting down on recidivism. “It helps us show their skills and the potential value they can add to society,” he explains.
Seeing how these formerly incarcerated people were turning their lives around, Abdul-Hadi also started the non-profit Down North Foundation, which focuses more on preventative measures of how to stay out of prison. “We have a series of initiatives that we offer people in North Philly, particularly youth in the neighborhood,” he says.
It holds annual fund raisers, writes grants, and has received a 3-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For example, it’s starting to raise capital to open a tech center in a former library, though Abdul-Hadi acknowledges it will take a huge amount of money to turn into a reality.
Yelp reaction to the pizza at Down North was very positive. Mark from Carrol Park, Pa. noted that he had tried Detroit-style pizza but found it “hit and miss.” But he thought Down North Pizza was “the best so far, from the thick soft fresh bread to a larger helping of toppings.” He also liked its wings.
Dan of Philadelphia first noted that he was “onboard with its mission” of hiring ex-prisoners. Then he enjoyed the pizza and said one serving was more than enough for two adults to share and noted he came home with leftovers. He described the service as “friendly and was military-level precise.” Indeed, he waited for under five minutes to receive his order.
Multi-talented Abdul-Hadi also has a cookbook/memoir coming out soon from Penguin/Random House, “We the Pizza.”
How does he balance his mission of doing good, with the capitalistic needs to make a profit at a pizza shop? Abdul-Hadi replies that “You don’t have to be one or the other. You can make money and do good. All I’m doing is investing in people,” he says.
Abdul-Hadi wants to expand his universe. He’s looking to open a second Down North Pizza, in another state in 2025, that he declines to name right now, to extend its mission beyond Philly.
