Community Highlights: Meet Michael Mayta of USBS Express

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Mayta.

Hi Michael, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started cooking professionally about 20 years ago. I enjoyed cooking with my mom growing up and thought maybe I should pursue a career in food. Baking was my initial thought, but cake decorationg and presentation didn’t grab my attention like savory food. I completed my Bachelor’s at Johnson and Wales, both Miami and Denver campuses. I would go on to work for Starwood Hotels and a few different types of service in Miami before working at Michy’s in 2009. Every chef there helped me grow into who I am today. Fast forward through the late night shifts, doubles and clopens, I found myself working forMichelle again a few times but now it was 2018. I worked early mornings, mostly prep and pastry, but still missed the feel of service. With the help of a few friends, we came up with the idea to make a simple burger, but make almost everything. From backyard popups at Boxelder in Wynwood, we found a home at the Citadel in Fall of 2020.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No it hasn’t been smooth at all. I set out to make burgers and fries and it’s the last thing I find myself doing. Letting others cook something that is an extension of yourself is stressful. Nothing everything will look perfect, not even the burgers I make to this day, but they can still be made the same way. Consistency will always be the issue. Whether in the raw product, final product or the person preparing the food. Finding peace in small changes that keep the business running, without sacrificing quality, has been the biggest obstacle with the rising cost of goods. I found myself explaining less and less the preparation of our burger to customers and just being content in seeing the same faces come back.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about USBS Express?
We are a burger and fries concept, where we focus on making as much in house as possible. We are different from others because we just choose to control more variables. The bread is made in house, the beef is ground daily, fries are cut fresh, chicken nuggets are hand made, and the list goes on. Brand wise, we really leaned into the postal theme. The names, pickup system from a mailbox and fries in an envelope. We want to the readers to know that there are people preparing mostly everything on the menu daily. I think it’s rare to see that in a fast casual concept, especially when it comes to burgers, but we believe it’s what will keep us around for a long time.

What matters most to you?
Family, both personal and business. When I leave the house to go to work, I want to be making enough of an impact to keep me away from my family and have them be proud of what I do. At work, I want everyone to feel comfortable. I did most of the prep by myself during the early popup days, so I try to spread the work evenly so no one should ever feel overwhelmed. I hope that my employees have the tools to work comfortably everyday. We allhave different things that stress us out, I hope work isn’t one of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://usbsmia.com
• Instagram: usbs_express

Image Credits
-Starchefs
-Cleveland Jennings