Change Location

Your bag is empty.

Start Order
Group Order

Create a group order if you're ordering for many people. Each person you invite will receive a link and will be able to add items to your bag. Once everyone has added their items, checkout your bag and pay online.

March 7, 2022

Meet Chris Neal – one of our rising stars at Piada, recently-promoted Sr. Chef and self-proclaimed cat dad. Chris grew up in Canton, OH, where he was a Boy Scout and avid swimmer. To perfect his backstroke, Chris began swimming at Malone University where he made it to the Nationals on the relay team. After studying business at Malone, Chris moved to Columbus in the pursuit of a new opportunity.

Chris began his career working as a door-to-door salesman which helped him develop his people skills - “Sales made me more personable.” Shortly after starting, he realized his passion was not in sales and used his Boy Scouts work ethic to navigate a new work environment. He came to the realization that he was more interested in the restaurant industry, so Chris applied for a job at Chipotle and started working in food service. While working at Chipotle, Chris said, “I saw that Piada was doing big things” and he knew he had to be a part of it!

At the time, Chris lived down the street from our Sawmill location in Dublin, OH and could walk to work. Because Sawmill was our testing location, he said that there were many times that they would make the same recipe over and over to perfect the dish. The constant drive to be better is what keeps Chris inspired at work – “I wanted to be a Supervisor when I first joined. The vision and food kept me motivated and excited to grow here.”

After recently celebrating his 4-year anniversary at Piada in February, Chris says his new goal is to grow into a Market Partner and he is open to relocating with the company if the right opportunity presents itself.

“I’ve been in Ohio my whole life. I’d love to move to Tennessee or Miami, FL - definitely somewhere warm!” Chris reiterated, “I love the direction we’re going - the next powerhouse restaurant in America. I can see us doing that.”

Chris attributes his success to the mentors he’s had in Piada management. “Jorge [Martinez – Chris's former Market Partner] has coached me for a long time.” Because he’s had great leaders, Chris has developed into one as well.

“Managing people is the newest, hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It’s a whole different side of the job.”

Perfecting this skill can be difficult, but it’s one challenge that Chris is excited for! When asked if he had any advice for new managers, he said, “Stay as calm as possible. Take a deep breath before making decisions – you cannot make decisions when you’re panicking.”

When Chris isn’t at work, he likes to spend time with his four cats – Aria, Charlie, Buddha & Buddha Jr. You’ll also find Chris hanging out with his girlfriend, Nikki, who works at our Lane Avenue location (a real life Piada love story!). They enjoy going to the movies and appreciate a good comedy! Chris also likes to visit his mom in his hometown of Canton, OH and hopes to travel down to North Carolina soon to spend time with his sister and his two nieces.

So, what’s next for Chris Neal? He will continue to build new creations on the menu like his favorite Calamari Piada with Diavolo sauce, Creamy Parm, feta, pancetta, spinach & pickled onions. While Chris’s life motto – “Make money” is important to him, ultimately, he wants to feel successful, and provide for his cats - “They’re expensive!”

If you’re looking for a career with huge growth potential, head to careers.mypiada.com.

July
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2025
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039
2040
2041
2042
2043
2044
2045
2046
2047
2048
2049
2050
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
12:00am
12:15am
12:30am
12:45am
1:00am
1:15am
1:30am
1:45am
2:00am
2:15am
2:30am
2:45am
3:00am
3:15am
3:30am
3:45am
4:00am
4:15am
4:30am
4:45am
5:00am
5:15am
5:30am
5:45am
6:00am
6:15am
6:30am
6:45am
7:00am
7:15am
7:30am
7:45am
8:00am
8:15am
8:30am
8:45am
9:00am
9:15am
9:30am
9:45am
10:00am
10:15am
10:30am
10:45am
11:00am
11:15am
11:30am
11:45am
12:00pm
12:15pm
12:30pm
12:45pm
1:00pm
1:15pm
1:30pm
1:45pm
2:00pm
2:15pm
2:30pm
2:45pm
3:00pm
3:15pm
3:30pm
3:45pm
4:00pm
4:15pm
4:30pm
4:45pm
5:00pm
5:15pm
5:30pm
5:45pm
6:00pm
6:15pm
6:30pm
6:45pm
7:00pm
7:15pm
7:30pm
7:45pm
8:00pm
8:15pm
8:30pm
8:45pm
9:00pm
9:15pm
9:30pm
9:45pm
10:00pm
10:15pm
10:30pm
10:45pm
11:00pm
11:15pm
11:30pm
11:45pm