Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The aroma of freshly baked pizza fills the Tomadough Pizzeria on Loch Hill Road in Towson, and the nearly 6-foot owner sprints to his black Honda Accord, wearing a hooded black rain coat with a blue beanie and carrying multiple pizzas in a black insulated warming bag.
“I work seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and I’m always here,” said Emad Ehmed, filling his car with pizza boxes and talking on a Bluetooth.
Ehmed, 37, who studied to be a boat captain at Benha University in Egypt, opened Tomadough Pizzeria last December. The business is his second; he sold his first pizza shop about four to five years ago. Before that, he learned the skills of the trade and business strategy while working with his cousins at Big Boys Pizza Shop in Towson.
“I found a place for sale in this area, and it was a good area [to open a pizza restaurant],” Ehmed said who explained that he works 12-hour days so he can pay his workers and the bills. “I can’t pay myself.”
“Best pizza ever,” said customer Christie McDevitt who lives 55-minutes away in Pasadena, Maryland. “Absolutely love the crust. Fresh ingredients. Will definitely go back.”
That vote of confidence is what inspires Ehmed to spend his entire days at the store just scrapping by. He said that after a few years, once the store’s name gets publicized, the business should increase. When you first start out no one knows about the restaurant, so Ehmed reasoned that you have to find the customers that enjoy your product and will continue to come back.
“I’m definitely open to new [pizza] places, all places that sell pizza should be good,” said Forrest Southern, 23, a Salisbury University student who eats pizza one to three times a week.
Southern said when looking for a new pizza restaurant he looks for a variety of toppings and dough styles. He also said he wants the store to have a quick time between when he orders the pizza and when it’s ready to be picked up.
“The hardest part about starting my own business is the beginning,” said Ehmed, explaining that his dough distinguishes his product from others. “We buy our dough, but it is the best dough you can buy.”
Ehmed said his favorite part about owning his own business is working for himself. He said he loves making the decisions and the fact that he doesn’t have anyone telling him what he must do.
Meanwhile, Ehmed steers the car to his parking spot after his delivery and sprints straight to the kitchen to work on more yellow-order tickets hanging above the work station.