EDWARDSVILLE - Imo’s in Edwardsville and Bethalto are owned and managed by a dynamic young entrepreneur Michael Frazier.
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Imo’s in Edwardsville is located at 1100 South State Route 157, while the Bethalto restaurant is at 515 N. Bellwood Road, Suite A, Bethalto.
Frazier’s journey with Imo’s started when he was working for a non-profit. He hadn’t taken a paycheck in three months and a family friend who owned Imo’s in Bethalto went on a retreat with his mother.
“The woman who owned Imo’s then didn’t want to sell it to a random per
son,” Frazier said. “It just worked out that they talked and I talked to my grandfather, Charles Pelan, about it and opening a restaurant with me. He decided he was interested and it took about two months to work out a deal. We bought the Imo’s in Bethalto in October 2013.”
In March or April 2014, Frazier was approached about buying the Edwardsville store.
“We negotiated a deal on the Edwardsville store in September and took it over in October 2014,” Frazier said.
Frazier is extremely thankful for his grandfather and his advice and support in the businesses.
“My grandfather means everything to me,” Frazier said. “He has always been around. He has always been the stereotypical patriarch of the family. He is super proud of the two Imo’s businesses.”
Frazier ensures that everything made at his Imo’s restaurants is fresh.
“We have super fresh sausage and hamburger and the pizza crusts don’t have preservatives in them,” he said. “Everything is made fresh. We throw out our vegetables every night and start all over the next day. The products are all good. We don’t have to worry about the products as long as the recipes are being followed.”
Frazier is a stickler with his staff on following the Imo’s guidelines. Imo’s does a four-page inspection and check over all the stores. The company sees how the pizzas are cooked and make sure they are made to specifications and are stored properly.
The key to success in the restaurant business to Frazier, is “being polite.”
“Imo’s is full of great people,” Frazier said. “Everybody I have dealt with are fantastic people.”
Ed and Margie Imo started the first Imo’s Pizza in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis. The first parlor was in 1964 at Thurman and Shaw Avenues in St. Louis. Imo’s Pizza now has more than 90 stores, most located in the Greater St. Louis area, with a dozen other stores throughout Missouri, including Springfield and Kansas City. Imo’s signatures, besides the Provel, are thin crust, square slices and always fresh and never frozen ingredients. The homemade sauce is also an ongoing staple in the restaurants. Each store is owned and operated independently.
Although pizza is what Imo’s is most known for, many delight in their sandwiches. The special roast beef, ham, salami, lettuce and tomato sandwich is Frazier’s favorite.
For a time, Frazier was a chef at Disney World and he learned one key thing – it is most important to keep the customer happy.
The phone number at the Bethalto location is 618-258-0011; the Edwardsville Imo’s phone number is 618-692-6100. CLICK HERE to view their Daily Specials!
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