Seven Breakout Pizzeria Owners to keep an eye on in 2021
Que Wimberly
The Missing Brick – Indianapolis, Indiana
How did you begin working in the pizza industry?
I began my career in the pizza industry by wanting to introduce my two sons to entrepreneurship. We as a family have always loved pizza and believed that our city (Indy) was missing a black-owned pizza joint that serves uniquely crafted pizzas and celebrates our culture. My journey in this started two years ago with no formal training or experience. Just trade shows and trial and error Not only are we self-built, we’re also self-taught.
What is something uniquely you that you have brought to the pizza industry?
Indy Style Pizza is the one thing that we brought to the pizza industry. We created a pizza style that’s just as unique as Detroit, Chicago, New York and California style pizzas. Starting with our crust that’s shaped like the state of Indiana. Most of our ingredients that top our rectangular shaped pizzas are produced and manufactured right here in Indiana. Indy Style Pizza has become a household name here. Soon the world will taste what Indy has to offer.
What’s been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
My biggest challenge in the pizza business is probably what just about every pizzeria is experiencing at the moment and that’s hiring good employees. I’m hoping to see a turnaround soon, especially with college students coming home for the summer.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
Food makes everyone happy. Normally when my team needs motivation I FEED THEM!!
What area do you feel like you currently need to improve upon to continue taking your pizza business to the next level?
I would say in order for TMB to get to the next level of business, it’s time for me to delegate and hire highly skilled professionals in the area of expertise that we need, like a PR/ Branding coach and marketing manager. I guess that means developing an expense budget for employees outside the restaurant and da-to-day operations.
Joey Karvelas
Karvelas Pizza Co. – Newnan, Lagrange, Hogansville, Georgia
How did you begin working in the pizza industry?
The pizza industry found me before I could choose for myself! My parents owned a pizza restaurant where I started working the dish pit as soon as I got off the school bus. I have found that pizza has always found a way to be a part of major moments in my life; after my father sold the family pizza place, I worked in an Atlanta pizzeria where I came up to the pizza line. I then found myself in downtown Knoxville ,Tennessee, working for my now good friend Gavin Loyer at his small place on Gay St. While I was managing this restaurant, I met my wife who was a server. A few years after I moved back to Georgia, our old family pizza place came up for sale and I leaped at the opportunity; and in 2014 Karvelas Pizza Co. was born.
What is something uniquely you that you have brought to the pizza industry?
I like to think everything I do is original, haha. But I know that our restaurants are a direct result of years of eating out and actively seeking the hidden gems on any vacation I took. I would tell my wife, “I like their playlist or I love how they displayed their sauces or that window over there looks awesome.”
So we took things we loved from all these different places we ate and put them together to create Karvelas Pizza Company. One thing though that we do that is unlike any other restaurant out there, is using the word “no”. Something I have been told my entire life is that the customer is always right and they should have it their way. But what I have come to learn is that it is alright to say “no”. I have created and developed these recipes and pizza combinations through years of trying and testing. I know they are perfect the way they are, and that is how I want other people to experience our pizza. So on our menu it is clearly stated that there is no adding, substituting or leaving off anything on our specialty pizzas. That is something uniquely Karvelas but I think it is something more people in the restaurant business, especially the pizza business, should feel comfortable saying. Not only because I know that our product is good the way it comes, but saying “no” has revolutionized the way our kitchen operates. On a busy Friday night our pizza line does not have to read a ticket and think what to leave off, what to add on, or half this and half that. They can simply see a works pizza, and know exactly how to top it, which in turn will get our customer their food quicker and cut down on the ticket time overall. Knowing our pizza as it comes cuts down on the amount of mistakes made and allows us to feed more people faster.
What’s been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
It is hard to say there has been one big challenge in the pizza business. I think the biggest challenge is the little challenges and everyday challenges that come up constantly. The pizza business is not static, it is dynamic. Our business is always changing and always growing and there are always new challenges associated with our growth. Knowing what to do is hard; there is no playbook given to pizzeria owners about how to be successful. Making choices and trusting that you’re doing the right thing is a big challenge for an owner.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
Our staff’s motivation is just as high now as it has been anytime. How we treat our people has not changed from 2019 to 2020. We want anyone who chooses to work at Karvelas to enjoy themselves and always have fun at what they’re doing. The bright and funky artwork we have on our walls, the playlist that is full blast all day, and our consistent social media filming all help our staff to look forward to coming into work. That in turn makes for motivated people. We are a mom-and-pop place, but not the traditional version. Now we have to make sure our restaurants stay a place people want to work. Also, you can never underestimate the value of a southern smile!
What area do you feel that you currently need to improve upon to take your pizza business to the next level?
Trusting the systems and levels of management that we put into place in order to open up more restaurants is going to be key in growing our pizza business. I can overthink anything, but in order to maintain my sanity and a positive attitude I have to trust the policies and the systems that my team and I create together in order to operate smooth running stores. If I am constantly questioning and rethinking the ways that we’ve done things, then it is hard for us to grow and truly test the strength of what we built. I want to work on giving my team space to implement everything that we think up together. Beyond that, I want to trust that other people are going to operate the store with the same attention to detail and care that I had from day one.
Marcus Medina
Hella Pie Pizza Company — Tracy, California
How did you begin working in the pizza industry?
It was around my 30th birthday when I felt that I wasn’t happy with doing construction my whole life. I decided that I wanted to start a
mobile wood-fired pizzeria after cooking in my backyard for friends and family. We were mobile for about 2.5 years. We did farmer’s markets, breweries, weddings and pretty much any type of party you’d want to get catered. Then the pandemic hit and all the parties stopped. An opportunity came to take over an existing bakery in our hometown and we jumped on it.
What’s been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
My biggest challenge has been how to make sure that we’re achieving our most consistent product. Every day I feel like we are going to war with constant changes and obstacles. How we navigate ourselves as a unit to overcome them is truly the challenge. Overcoming those obstacles as a team is also one of the most rewarding things though — family, friends and staff. It takes us all so I’m very thankful for our support system. We couldn’t do this alone.
What is something uniquely you that you have brought to the pizza industry?
When I was a kid growing up in the 90s pizza was so cool and fun. Branding was on point. I’ve kind of brought that type of nostalgia back for both adults and children. We were all kids at some point and so making pizza is fun, but also simple and beautiful at the same time. That is what I think makes my business unique. Also our business name. We wanted to be something that resonated with locals. We felt like nothing says Northern California like Hella. You can pin the region where we are from just by that word. We are just locals cooking for locals and that authenticity brings us more support than you can imagine.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
I’m still not quite sure how to motivate people. I’m not sure if we can. I definitely have surrounded myself with a staff that motivates me to be better. Constantly trying to make our staff’s jobs easier, more efficient and comfortable. Also, being conscious of their time and time off. Hopefully that shows my team that I care and I’m thinking about them. If they see that, then I think they will buy into the work.
What is something you’ve learned at Pizza Expo that has helped guide your business?
I feel blessed to have started this career in my 30s. Starting a new career you have to swallow your pride or ego. Not that we should have one anyway. For a while I felt alone. I hadn’t grown up in the industry so I was very unsure about everything. I booked my first Pizza Expo in 2019. After that trip I didn’t feel so alone anymore. I felt like I was embraced with love and support. I started building on those relationships made in Las Vegas and eventually found that my pizza naturally got better from all of the knowledge shared through the conversations with mentors that I look up to.
What area do you feel like you currently need to improve upon to continue taking your pizza business to the next level?
Being a self-taught pizza maker/entrepreneur, I guess you could say that I’m Hella insecure. It’s a blessing and a curse. Everything that I do probably takes me a little longer because I want to figure it out. I definitely try and keep things simple but I feel like I need to get out of my comfort zone and get around people with more knowledge. I try to fill my time with podcasts, audio books or videos. I’m looking forward to taking some hands-on classes though so that I can start taking my chef skills to a higher level.
Audrey Kelly
Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage – Boulder, Colorado
How did you begin working the pizza industry?
My first job in the pizza industry was working at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in North Beach, SF. I had just returned from Italy and was obsessed with learning how to make pizza. Tony (Gemignani) had just opened his restaurant and pizza school. I took one of his classes and somehow talked my way into working for him after the class ended. He became my greatest mentor and friend and has given me my foundation for pizza making.
What’s been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
My biggest challenge has been to balance my own expectations. I am inherently a perfectionist and in the beginning of opening my own shop I wanted to do everything myself so that it would be done correctly. I was there from open to close the first three years and made almost every pizza. I have learned, and am still learning, that in order to succeed you have to not only be a great pizza maker and have a great product but even more importantly, be a great teacher and leader. At some point you have to let go and trust other people with your product. To do that, I really had to learn how to teach and manage my team. It is a skill I am constantly trying to improve on and one I think the best owners possess.
What is something uniquely you that you have brought to the pizza industry?
I believe that my business and pizza itself are unique. I took that fundamentals of the classic pizza making techniques and turned them into my own product. Since leaving Tony’s I have become more engrossed with sourdough starters and bread making and realized just how important that is to pizza making. We now do a 100 percent naturally leavened dough using some freshly milled flour. While we definitely are not the only ones doing this, ours will never be the same as anyone else’s. A lot of owners create a recipe and business model and continue to do the same thing for years, I am constantly trying to improve upon not only my product but business itself. Someone can try to replicate my pizza and store but they will never be able to capture the energy and personality of it. To me, that is the true beauty of small mom and pop shops, they all bring something different to the game, something that no one else can do or create.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
I think that the biggest motivator is to lead by example. While I have learned to delegate some tasks, I will never be the type of owner/operator that expects my team to do things I won’t. I am in there every day working just as hard, if not harder than everyone else.
What is something you’ve learned at Pizza Expo that has helped guide your business?
Every year I walk away from Expo with a wealth of new inspiration and knowledge. I learn from the demos, panels and keynote speakers, but also just from talking with everyone else in the industry. Some years I go into Expo feeling a little burned out but consistently leave feeling invigorated and ready to take on the year. To me, more than anything else it is the connections and support that Expo offers that makes it invaluable. I truly believe that the pizza industry is unique in how open and willing everyone is to each other that makes it feel like a second family. The biggest thing that I have taken away from Expo is that it is okay to ask for help because everyone needs it at some point. Everyone has a different skill set and you can’t expect yourself to be good at every aspect of the business.
What area do you feel like you currently need to improve upon to continue taking your pizza business to the next level?
For me, the best way to take my business to the next level is to step back a little so that I can look at the bigger picture and expand upon it. I am usually so focused on the day to day and minute to minute action that I never have the time or energy to improve or fix the larger things. It is something that I am truly trying to focus on and hope to make a few changes in the next year. As my uncle says, “Being on the counter can be counter productive.” Basically, I always want to be at my shop making pizzas and interacting with customers, but I need to learn when to step back and trust my team so I can focus on smoothing out the edges and expanding as well.
Leah Scurto
PizzaLeah – Windsor, California
How did you begin working in the pizza industry?
I always say that the pizza industry found me. I was 18, in college and totally broke. I walked into the first restaurant I saw and asked if they were hiring. I was hired on the spot and the rest is history…
I’m no spring chicken to the pizza industry as I have been making pizza since 1997. I spent 21 years with Pizza My Heart and have recently started to make a name for myself with my own restaurant, Pizzaleah.
What is something uniquely you that you have brought to the pizza industry?
I feel like I’ve never wanted my style of pizza making to be defined by normal styles. I love to make hybrid styles and use a collaboration of techniques I’ve learned over the years.
What’s been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
Right now my biggest challenge is probably the same as everyone…hiring.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
I’m a big proponent of leading by example. If I work hard, they work hard but I also love to have fun. If my staff isn’t having fun while they are working then I’m not doing it right now. I also make sure that any accolades I receive I give credit to my employees and make sure that those accolades are theirs as well. I couldn’t do what I do without them.
What area do you feel like you currently need to improve upon to continue taking your pizza business to the next level?
Currently I’m trying to improve on my role as the owner of a company. I’ve always been in the mindset that I needed to actively work in the restaurant/kitchen day in day out. While I think it’s very important that as the owner of the business I am hands-on and available to both my customers and employees, I sometimes let some of the more bureaucratic things I need to take care of as an owner slip through the cracks.
What is something you’ve learned at Pizza Expo that has helped guide your business?
I’ve been attending pizza Expo since 1999. My biggest takeaway has always been networking. It’s a great place to meet other people in the industry and to share ideas.
Nicholas Franchi
Upper Crust – Akron, Ohio
How did you begin working in the pizza industry?
When I was 15 years old I was looking for a job and the first place that hired me was a small pizza shop named Pizza BoGo.
What is something uniquely you that you have brought to the pizza industry?
Something unique I have brought to the pizza industry is the “Super Crown.” I made a pizza at the 2019 Pizza Expo and I created a crown for it. We do a similar version of the pizza in our shops on a daily basis.
What’s been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
The biggest challenge we have experienced is the current labor market. It is and has been extremely difficult to find good help this past year.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
We do everything we can to be extremely flexible with all of our employees schedules. Also we give bonuses to high performing individuals.
What area do you feel like you currently need to improve upon to continue taking your pizza business to the next level?
I know that I need to improve on hiring and training. Also I need to work on creating systems and implementing them successfully into our business.
What is something you’ve learned at Pizza Expo that has helped guide your business?
It didn’t so much help guide our business but at the 2018 and 2019 Pizza Expo I learned a lot about competing. From traveling with products or finding products on arrival to putting together a presentation for the judges.
I learned that there are a few different moving parts that have to come together to compete with the best of the best!
Giovanni Cesarano
King Umberto — Elmont, New York
How did you begin working in pizza?
I was 16 years old eating all the food in the fridge and my Mom said “if you’re going to eat like that you need to go to work” so my Dad, who at the time was co-owner of King Umberto, gave me my first job in pizza.
What’s been the biggest challenge in the pizza business?
Finding staff has been difficult at times but it makes us as owners work harder, which I don’t mind. Working in the pizza business never bothered me so if I have to help service customers, answer phones, or help make pizza it’s what I signed up for so I don’t complain. It also makes me appreciate the workers who’ve been with us a long time even more.
What is something uniquely you’ve brought to the pizza business?
It’s hard to be unique in a business where so much information is shared and seen on a day-to-day basis. With that being said my mother was a seamstress growing up, so I watched her make beautiful dresses and that was always inspiring for me. We’ve introduced some cool King Umberto gear like hats, t-shirts, and jackets.
What do you do to motivate your staff during these challenging times?
I basically tell them we have an opportunity to make people happy right now in a world where not too many happy things are happening. If our products and services bring joy to people’s lives with all that’s going on they should be proud of themselves.
What is something that you’ve learned at pizza expo that helped guide your business?
A LOT! I can’t point my finger to only one thing because there’s been so many, but every time I go to the Expo I come out a more informed and motivated pizza maker.
What area do you think you need to improve on to take your business to the next level?
Since the pandemic we’ve had an increase in production in pizza sales, so keeping the oven hot has been challenging. Cranking up the oven during peak hours and rotating the pies properly so they get the right bake is something me and my staff are currently getting better at day by day. We also ordered an additional pizza master so that should help us out a bit.
