Proprietor
Berkeley, California
What are your prime three targets on your pizza restaurant within the coming 12 months?
Tighten Operations
Streamline our programs so we will ship constantly nice pizza and hospitality, even through the busiest hours.
Evolve the Menu
Hold bettering our seasonal choices and ingredient sourcing whereas staying true to our easy, ingredient-driven fashion.
Develop the Workforce
Put money into workers growth and management so our group feels supported, assured, and in a position to ship their finest.
How do you intend to remain aggressive in a crowded market?
We keep aggressive by doubling down on the issues that truly matter – nice meals, real hospitality, and actual relationships with our group. There’s at all times going to be a brand new spot opening or a development passing via, however what retains folks coming again is belief – you already know the pizza can be good, the vibe can be heat, and the expertise will really feel human.
We additionally obsess over the main points: sourcing nice substances, protecting a decent and considerate menu, and consistently bettering how we work so the visitor expertise stays easy even after we’re slammed. And truthfully, a part of staying aggressive is just not making an attempt to be every little thing to everybody. We all know who we’re. We make our sort of pizza, we deal with folks nicely, and we maintain getting higher at it.
What’s one ability or space of data you’d like to enhance as a enterprise proprietor in 2026?
I need to get higher at stepping again and considering extra strategically as an alternative of at all times residing within the day-to-day fires. I’m nice on the hands-on restaurant work – staffing, programs, meals, service – however as we develop, I have to strengthen the “large image” aspect: planning, forecasting, and making selections that set us up 6–12 months out as an alternative of 6–12 hours out. With our second location opening up in San Francisco (early 2026) that is taking precedence.
Mainly, studying to be much less reactive and extra proactive. If I can degree up that ability, the entire group feels it – extra readability, extra stability, and extra space for everybody (together with me) to do our greatest work.
