A.C. mozzarella stick biz Mad Mutz gets a bite on ‘Shark Tank’

Atlantic City has been famous for many things over the years. Who would have guessed a reimagined mozzarella stick would be next?

Michael Hauke was already a success with his Tony Baloney’s pizza joint. In fact, a decade ago he famously banned Donald Trump from any further service at his pizzeria after allegedly racist remarks were made in his first campaign.

Hauke wasn’t stopping at pizza.

Since his dustup with Trump, he opened Mad Mutz, complete with a logo of a mad scientist with crazy hair. Fitting since they have taken a laboratory approach in reimagining mozzarella sticks.

They’ve done experimental flavors, colors, and crusts.

A crust can be anything from a hot honey caramelized breading to a truffle panko. Some are dyed in crazy colors.

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Flavors can be cacio pepe, or that of a jalapeño popper, or a Jamaican patty, but all in mozzarella sticks form. They even have a gluten-free option, plus a vegan option. Oh, they also have one called The Unicorn which you just have to see to believe. It’s a true guess what you might walk in to find.

Looking for expansion, Mad Mutz appeared on “Shark Tank” last week. Mike Hauke and co-owner Michael Burns brought the positivity and the showmanship. Hauke went dressed in a white lab coat and a crazy green wig to look like the Mad Mutz logo and leaning into the idea that they’re constantly reinventing the mozzarella stick in a laboratory to come up with new flavors, they had a table set up with various prop beakers with smoke pouring out.

It was a negotiation, it was salesmanship, in the end…it was successful. They cut a deal for $150,000 for 20% with Lori Greiner.

Mad Mutz Mozzarella Laboratory (Mad Mutz for short) is 2643 Fairmount Ave. in Atlantic City. Their website is madmutz.com.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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