ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — On a busy shift at Pizza Mind, Maddie Hayler moves easily between two worlds.
In the dining room, she weaves past tables, delivering food and checking on customers. In the kitchen, she scans tickets, studies each plate and calls out small corrections — an extra topping here, a missing sauce there.
“I love that I’m able to go between the dining establishment and the cooking establishment,” said Hayler, 23, who has worked as a food runner at the West Asheville restaurant for nearly five years. “I get to see how everything works and make sure every order is correct.”
Hayler started the job just after graduating from high school. She was preparing to begin college and needed steady work. Through a family connection, she learned the restaurant was hiring food runners and jumped at the opportunity.
“I’d be starting college and needed some kind of occupation while going to school,” she said. “So, I jumped at the chance.”
Now a senior studying creative writing, Hayler plans to graduate in May. Balancing classes and restaurant shifts has shaped her work ethic and her sense of self.
As a food runner, she describes herself as observant — a trait that serves customers well.
“If something’s not right, even the tiniest detail, like if we’re missing a topping on a pizza, I’ll say, ‘Hey, could you add that?’” she said. “I just want to make sure everything is correct for the customer’s satisfaction.”
That attentiveness extends beyond the restaurant.
Hayler, who lives in Asheville, considers herself introverted but thoughtful. When she’s not at work or in class, she gravitates toward quiet activities — reading, watching films and taking long walks.
She often strolls the campus of the University of North Carolina at Asheville and spends time outdoors with her mother at the Biltmore Estate. Movies, however, remain her favorite pastime.
“I love watching movies and analyzing them,” she said. “Any kind of genre, I’m down to see.”
Her interest in film helped spark her path into creative writing. During her first year of college, Hayler began posting short film reviews on Instagram, sharing her thoughts and recommendations with friends and followers.
“I just loved writing about film and wanting to analyze it,” she said. “It made me think maybe I could be a film critic or a film writer.”
Her ambitions have evolved since then — from film criticism to nonfiction writing and even the possibility of becoming a librarian — but the common thread remains storytelling.
Asked about her dream job, Hayler paused.
“I have to be honest — I have no idea what I want to do,” she said with a laugh. “I know it will be somewhere around writing and film. I have a plan, but I’m still trying to find good opportunities after I graduate.”
For now, she is content moving between those two familiar worlds at Pizza Mind — the hum of conversation in the dining room and the focused rhythm of the kitchen — carrying plates, checking details and quietly preparing for whatever story comes next.
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