- From the Oxford/Orion Progress Edition 2013

Respect. 

It’s the foundation on which Oxford resident Shawn McGuire built his business, Guido’s Premium Pizza. Respect for his employees. Respect for his customers. Respect for his product. Respect for the community. 

“My grandfather instilled in me really good values, both financial and personal (in nature,” McGuire said. “He always said, “Your word is your bond.’

“So, if I tell you something, you can take it to the bank. I’m not going to lie. My word is my bond. I take care of people. I do what I say I’m going to do. Your reputation is everything. If you treat people the right way and do the right thing, you’ll do better in life.”

Obviously that philosophy has paid off as Guido’s Premium Pizza –which now has 11 locations including Oxford (1396 S. Lapeer Rd.) – is celebrating its 20^th anniversary in April.

“I was a kid when I started this business,” said McGuire, who is a 1988 graduate of Lake Orion High School. “I was 23 years old. I had just graduated from college. All I knew was the pizza business because that’s what I did for four years to work my way through college. I really enjoyed it, so I took a risk.”

McGuire can hardly believe that 20 years later, that risk has paid off big time as his business continues to flourish and his product has been voted “Best Pizza” by Oxford Leader readers five years in a row.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “This business is not easy. You can’t just open up and think you’re going to make a living out of it. It takes a special combination of everything – product, location, staff, ownership.”

 To help celebrate this monumental achievement, Guido’s will be offering plenty of $20 specials involving everything from its delicious pizza to its mouth-watering sandwiches to its yummy appetizers and salads

McGuire isn’t one to just pat himself on the back for his success. He gives a lot of credit to his employees.

I’ve been very, very fortunate to have great people work for me,” he said. “Most successful businesses have great staff, I think it starts at the top with good leaders that hire the right people.”

Unlike many pizza places, Guido’s prides itself on the stability of its crew. “We have turnover but we don’t have high turnover,” said McGuire, who noted his last Oxford store manager, Kelly was with him for 17 years and his new manager, Lisa, has worked there for nine years.

To McGuire, the key to success involves “treating people fairly”, whether they are employees or customers, and putting out consistently good product.”

“We put so much on our pizzas that more toppings fall off than other places put on their pizzas, “ he noted.

Winning “Best Pizza” in Oxford for five straight years I extremely important to McGuire because “customers want to go with somebody that has a good track record.”

One of the products that Guido's is well know for is its Da Boss Pizza.

“The Da Boss Pizza is something that we do that’s different,” McGuire said.

The Da Boss is Guido’s version of the Chicago-style pizza. All the toppings are baked right into the cheese and there’s a thick layer of sauce on top. “It’s more like a pie,” McGuire said. “When you cut it, it doesn’t fall apart. It takes longer to cook – we actually cook it twice. No one else is offering something like that. People who try it love it. “

Another thing that separates Guido’s from its many competitors it he fact that it offers three choices of sauce – original, chunky tomato and spicy. “No one else offers a variety of sauces,” McGuire said. “Spicy is my favorite.”

Not only does Guido’s offer delivery and is open for lunch, the pizza place also does catering for any size event, big or small from a birthday party to a business meeting

Guido’s is proud to have a significant internet presence for a world that relies more and more on computers and smartphones to do everything, even ordering food on-line (something Guido’s has been offering for years). 

Guido’s website www.guidospizza.com now features links to “microsites” dedicated to each location. “Each store now has its own website,” McGuire said. “That allows them to promote their own specials and post their own news. It’s more individualized and more community-oriented for each location.”

Guido’s also has its own Facebook pages. There’s a corporate one and one just for the Oxford Store. “We’ve really refined our internet presence,’ McGuire said.

To reach the Guido’s location in Oxford by phone call (248)969-2111.