Dining Room Manager, Osteria Mattone, Atlanta
By Lara Creasy
Maddy Judd started her restaurant career at a family-owned tapas place during college. “The restaurant was only about two football fields away from my apartment, so it was, truthfully, a choice made based on proximity,” she says.
However, she soon realized that the community created within the four walls of a restaurant were very important to her, and she fell in love with serving and hospitality. Though young, and perhaps less experienced than many of her peers, Maddy has demonstrated the chops necessary to make it in this demanding industry.
Ryan Pernice, owner of Osteria Mattone, who nominated Maddy for Rising Star, says, “Having started my first restaurant —Table & Main — at age 25 in 2011, I can instantly tell when a young person has the stamina, the dedication to excellence, and the sense of self to succeed in a leadership role in the hospitality business. Maddy immediately impressed me with her ability not only to make people happy, which is the bedrock of what we do, but also manage her relationships with her colleagues to achieve our business objectives.”
“When leading former peers and those more experienced than me, gaining their respect and showing I care is key,” Maddy says. “That started when I was a server alongside them. They knew then and know now that every shift I am there to support them. To lead people is to exemplify that you are capable and willing to do the same things they do. They also need to trust that you will take charge when things get sticky.”
Wise beyond her years, Maddy says that the transition from server to management was seamless for her, because everyone at Osteria Mattone wanted her to succeed.
“I knew I wanted to take the position because from the day I started, it was very evident to me that Dan and Ryan care so much about their business. For being only 22 years old at the time, they saw something in me, and that was what I needed to have the confidence to say yes. I knew they could coach and teach me so much about the industry. It was a new challenge I was ready to take on.”
Pernice pointed to scheduling as a particular talent of Maddy’s, saying, “Making the schedule is not the most fun task. It’s laborious. It’s thankless. And it often leads to friction with team members who have endless wants and needs and requests-off that go against our company policies. Simply put, Maddy handles it. She engages in the tough (but fair) conversations with zero complaint.”
When asked what comes next, after achieving Rising Star recognition at such a young age, Maddy didn’t miss a beat. “Rising Star means I have more to achieve! It is such an honor to be recognized and show potential for more. I plan on taking this as a challenge to see what else I can accomplish in the future.”
Read More About the Other 2025 Rising Stars
Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Performance Foodservice, and table sponsors, Society Insurance and Savannah Distributing, for making this event possible:
Presenting Sponsor
Table Sponsors
Savannah Distributing and Society Insurance
