The secret's out: Stonedeck Pizza Pub in Deep Ellum is now selling 12 macaroni and cheese creations from a previously "secret" menu.
In January, owner David Haynes wanted to use UberEats but was hesitant to put Stonedeck's pizza on a third-party delivery service in case wait times let the pizza sit too long. So he started thinking about quick-assembly dishes better suited for delivery. "Why can't I have a different concept [that] comes out of the same kitchen, [and] just call it something different so it focuses attention?" Haynes says.
Conscious that people might be hesitant to order mac 'n cheese from a pizza place, or simply never discover it ("The word pizza casts a really long shadow," Haynes says), Central Mac was born.
Travis Considine, a spokesman for Uber, said he hasn't seen another restaurant use its kitchen to produce a totally different menu with separate branding. They agreed to let Haynes give it a go and anticipate more restaurants will use this business model in the future.
With the classic mac already on Stonedeck's menu as a base, Haynes brainstormed 12 combinations with ingredients he had in-house to create new mac 'n cheese dishes with "whimsical names" like Nacho Libre and Goodfellas.
Since Central Mac launched on UberEats in January, it's served thousands of orders, Haynes says, and the demand prompted him to start offering it for pickup and dine-in in mid-August.
The menu ranges from a classic breadcrumb-topped mac called It's a Wonderful Life to the most popular 3-Meat BBQ with chicken, hotlink and Andouille sausage. Haynes' favorite is the Forget Paris, which includes roasted Brussels sprouts, bacon and goat cheese.
The menu is still available on UberEats. Diners who go to Stonedeck in person now get a Central Mac menu alongside the Stonedeck one. But, Haynes says, a future brick-and-mortar home for Central Mac is "certainly a possibility."
Stonedeck Pizza Pub is at 2613 Elm St., Dallas.
CORRECTION, 5:45 p.m., Sept. 6: The bottom of this story originally listed Stonedeck Pizza Pub's address as Main Street. The correct address is Elm Street. We regret the error.
