280. Spinato’s Pizzeria goes 49% Employee Owned (ESOP)

Send us a textTempe-based Spinato’s Pizzeria has embarked on an ownership structure that only 7,000 businesses around country and only one percent of Arizona companies offers, an Employee Ownership Stock Plan (ESOP).Since opening 51 years ago, Spinato’s has grown to six Phoenix-area locations with more than 420 employees. The pizza company is the Official Pizza of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury (NBA and WNBA basketball teams) and the Official Pizza of the Arizona Cardinals (NFL football team). With the ESOP announcement, 150 Spinato’s employees join the six family members as owners.This week on The Hot Slice, we sit down with Anthony Spinato, President & CEO, to learn all about the new ESOP. We dive into what led the family to create the ESOP and the process to make it a reality. Listen to the goosebump moment when Anthony shared the news with longtime team members. Read Spinato’s ESOP Announcement.Learn more about Spinato’s and on Instagram @ spinatospizza.

Send us a textWhen you are looking for an added revenue source, have you ever considered a state fair? This week’s guest, Nick Sanford went all in at the New York State Fair. Nick owns Toss & Fire with three locations and a fleet of food trucks around Syracuse, New York. This is the third year Toss & Fire has had a presence at the New York State Fair, but this year, Sanford took over a prime location. From fair-exclusive pizza specials, a pre-fair marketing blitz to the logistics of temporarily closing and store and adjusting staffing, you won’t believe how big it paid off. Stick around on the podcast to listen to how many pizzas Toss & Fire sold at the state fair.Nick is no stranger to high traffic output. With food trucks running at concurrent events and high-volume stores, Nick shares how he and his team are able to execute at a high level. Toss & Fire was the 2024 Pizza Company of the Year Northeast Region in Pizza Today’s P.IE. Awards. This year, the pizzeria celebrates its 10th anniversary.Learn more about Toss & Fire at https://www.tossnfirepizza.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tossnfirepizza/.Show Notes: Nominations are open for the 3rd annual Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE Awards). We are looking to give awards in seven categories, plus Pizza Company of the Year by Region. Apply today at:https://pizzatoday.com/pie-awards/ National Pizza Month in October is approaching fast. Go to the National Pizza Month Pizzeria Tool Kit: https://pizzatoday.com/nationalpizzamonth/  There is no better way to celebrate National Pizza Month than by attending Pizza Expo Columbus! Register now! https://registration.pizzaexpocolumbus.com/event/2025  

Send us a textThis week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with a visionary young operator who bought her first Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza franchise as while she was still in high school.Lily worked at a local Papa Murphy’s before jumping at the opportunity to become a franchisee. Though savings and a loan from a family friend, Lily and her family made the purchase. Lily is the majority owner and runs the day-to-day operations.During her first year, she has remodeled her store, embraced her leadership role with a fresh approach and integrated herself and the restaurant into the community. Her store has achieved double-digit year-over-year growth, including a February week where sales more than doubled compared to the year prior. The brand has recognized that they have a shining star in their ranks. Lily was recently named “Rookie of the Year” by the brand during its Minneapolis conference.We chat all about how she was able to get into the business so young, as well as managing a team. Don’t miss how martial arts helped her take the lead at her shop in Sioux City. Find out what she’s focused on now and what comes next.  Show Notes:Nominations are open for the 3rd annual Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE Awards). We are looking to give awards in seven categories, plus Pizza Company of the Year by Region. Apply today at:https://pizzatoday.com/pie-awards/  National Pizza Month in October is approaching fast. Go to the National Pizza Month Pizzeria Tool Kit: https://pizzatoday.com/nationalpizzamonth/ There is no better way to celebrate National Pizza Month than by attending Pizza Expo Columbus! Register now! https://registration.pizzaexpocolumbus.com/event/2025 

Send us a textListen to Liane Varipapa Page, owner of Big Green Truck Pizza in Connecticut, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today.Big Green Truck Pizza made history this month by serving more than 4,500 people at the 10th annual Apizza Feast in New Haven. The company’s lead dough maker prepared 750 dough balls ahead of the event, which served 10,000 slices and was recognized by Guinness World Records for the largest pizza party. Achieving the feat required lots of planning. Big Green Pizza brought six of its trucks, two trailers and 30 staff members and friends to cook pies onsite. If anyone is up to such a challenge, it’s a mobile pizza operator that regularly staffs multiple events simultaneously, has contingency plans in case of a car trouble and rounds out its eye-catching fleet with International Harvesters from the 1940s.  Find out how Liane Varipapa Page went from operations manager to owner of Big Green Pizza Truck and how she is adding to the fleet so she can “say yes” to booking requests for years to come.Show Notes: Nominations are open for the 3rd annual Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE Awards). We are looking to give awards in seven categories, plus Pizza Company of the Year by Region. Apply today at: https://pizzatoday.com/pie-awards/ National Pizza Month in October is approaching fast. Go to the National Pizza Month Pizzeria Tool Kit: https://pizzatoday.com/nationalpizzamonth/There is no better way to celebrate National Pizza Month than by attending Pizza Expo Columbus! Register now! https://registration.pizzaexpocolumbus.com/event/2025

Send us a textThis week on The Hot Slice Podcast, hosts Joelene and Joel Best shared an extraordinary discovery that has captivated their Hamburg, New York community and pizza lovers everywhere. What started as a routine renovation project at The Now Pizzeria transformed into an archaeological adventure when contractors uncovered a newspaper from 1881 hidden within the building's walls.The discovery happened during exterior renovations at the historic pizzeria, located right on Main Street in the village of Hamburg. When contractors began removing three layers of siding to prepare for new exterior work, they reached the original vertical plank boards—and that's when history revealed itself."He found a newspaper article from 1881 behind the boards, and he showed it to me," Joelene Best explained during the podcast interview. "I was like, that's so cool, you need to get that out for me. And he's like, What are you going to do with that? I'm like, I don't know. I'm like, I want to frame it. I just want to see it."The newspaper, identified as "Our Fair" with a New York address, was remarkably preserved despite being tucked away for nearly 150 years. According to Hamburg Town Historian Jim Baker, this type of discovery isn't uncommon—newspapers were often used as insulation in mid-1800s construction, helping keep weather out of buildings.But for the Best family, this find represented something much more significant than just old insulation material. It connected them directly to their building's rich history and sparked an obsession with uncovering more details about the structure they've called home for decades.Her research revealed fascinating details about the building's past. Before becoming The Now Pizzeria in 1969, the structure housed various businesses throughout its history, with records showing it served as women's clothing stores dating back to at least 1903. The building itself appears to have been constructed around 1881, based on the newspaper discovery.The Now Pizzeria's story is deeply intertwined with the Best family legacy. Joel Best began working at the restaurant in 1973 while still in high school, eventually purchasing it in 1982 after nine years of dedication. For 41 years, he built the business into a community cornerstone, maintaining original recipes while expanding the menu from just pizza and subs to include wings, tacos, and various fried foods.The transition to the next generation happened seamlessly when Joelene and her sister took over ownership in May 2023. Both had worked at the pizzeria for 30 years, with Joelene handling bookkeeping, payroll, and ordering long before officially becoming an owner. "It still doesn't feel real, to be honest," she admitted during the podcast.The restaurant's iconic Orange Crush sign, installed in summer 1970, has become a beloved landmark. Grandfather-claused as the only pole sign on Main Street, it serves as a beacon for locals and a nostalgic touchstone for visitors. "A lot of times when people's kids go away to college, and then they come home, they always say that they don't feel like they're home until they see the Orange Crush sign," Joelene shared.The recent renovations that led to the newspaper discovery represent more than just cosmetic improvements. The project included new siding, windows, and a permanent awning for their patio, plus energy efficiency upgrades that will help during Hamburg's notoriously harsh winters. The front room is receiving a complete facelift while maintaining the restaurant's vintage charm.As football season approaches—with the Bills' stadium just five minutes away—The Now Pizzeria prepares for its busiest time of year. Sunday game days bring crowds of hungry fans, and the restaurant's strategic location makes it a natural gathering spot for the community

Send us a textWhat does it take to transform a small pizzeria in Las Vegas' Chinatown into a nationally recognized restaurant? For Erica Bell, General Manager and Pizzaiola at ØØ Pie & Pub (Double Zero), the answer lies in obsessive attention to detail, authentic leadership, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. This week, we chat with Erica on the business.  In just two years of operation, Double Zero has achieved what many restaurants spend decades pursuing: recognition as one of the top 50 pizzerias in the United States. But this success story goes far beyond awards—it's a masterclass in building a restaurant culture that prioritizes quality, creativity, and genuine hospitality. The pizzeria celebrated the 43rd place ranking on the 50 Top Pizza list by offering $4.30 pizzas—a community giveback that resulted in 400 pizzas sold in four hours. Erica breaks down how they made the promotional event work flawlessly.  Bell's philosophy is deceptively simple: "You really have to have the right people in the right places because that's your foundation. My team is my foundation for the success of the business." This wasn't achieved overnight. Bell describes a crucial six-month period where significant shifts occurred, followed by three months of watching her team "rise up and feel the love and support from each other." The transformation required Bell to examine her own leadership approach and adapt her teaching methods to match how different team members learn. Listen to the full episode to learn more about Erica’s approach to leadership and what’s next for Double Zero. Learn more about Double Zero at https://www.doublezeropie.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/doublezeropiepub/. 

Send us a textFrom Engineering to Excellence: Inside Mattenga's Pizzeria's Rise to Pizza Today's 2025 Pizzeria of the YearThe latest episode of The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today featured an inspiring conversation with Matthew and Hengam Stanfield, the engineering-minded power couple behind Mattenga's Pizzeria. Fresh off their monumental achievement of being named Pizza Today's 2025 Pizzeria of the Year, the Stanfields shared the strategic insights and systematic approaches that transformed their struggling single pizzeria into San Antonio's fastest-growing pizza business.A Remarkable Month of RecognitionThe timing couldn't have been more perfect for the Stanfields. In the same week they received the prestigious Pizzeria of the Year honor, Mattenga's also secured their third consecutive "Best of San Antonio" award – a testament to their consistent excellence and community impact. "It was in the exact same week," Hengam noted during the podcast. "Pretty awesome." This dual recognition represents more than just accolades; it demonstrates how the couple has successfully balanced operational excellence with deep community engagement throughout San Antonio.The Power of Customer-Centric MarketingOne of the most striking aspects of Mattenga's success lies in how they leverage recognition and media coverage. Rather than making achievements about themselves, the Stanfields consistently redirect the spotlight to their customers and community. "We never want to make it about us," Hengam explained. "It takes a village with the team, but also we are here because we have a lot of great customers that continue to support us. So it's always making it about gratitude to our customers." This approach has contributed to their impressive 15-20% steady sales growth this year, with multiple high-profile moments including a Dave Portnoy visit creating sustained momentum rather than temporary spikes.Engineering Excellence in Restaurant OperationsThe Stanfields' engineering backgrounds shine through in their systematic approach to restaurant management. Their comprehensive meeting structure includes three distinct sessions:Texas Hospitality meetings focusing on reviews and above-and-beyond service storiesEngineered meetings diving deep into 20+ key performance metricsInvest meetings centered on leadership development and team growth"As restaurant owners, you have many problems, then you can think about the source of your problem," Hengam shared. "Whatever problem we have is a system problem... instead of pointing to people, a lot of times, I think in our industry, we look at people are the problem."Innovative Commissary OperationsThe podcast revealed fascinating insights into Mattenga's commissary implementation across all seven locations. By centralizing prep work and investing in specialized equipment like the "cheese hog" that shreds 48 pounds of cheese in seconds, they've achieved remarkable efficiency gains. Matthew noted they successfully reduced their labor target from 23% to 19% while improving consistency and freeing up front-line staff to focus on hospitality rather than prep work.Vision for Explosive GrowthLooking toward the future, the Stanfields aren't thinking small. With plans to potentially reach 21 locations within three years – maintaining their current growth trajectory – they're actively preparing systems and leadership development for a 400-employee operation. "What has gotten us here will not get us there," Hengam reflected, emphasizing their commitment to continuous evolution and improvement. The couple also teased exciting developments they couldn't yet share on the podcast, hinting at franchise opportunities and other strategic initiatives

Send us a textThis week, we’re bringing you a fun episode with the Pizza Today Team giving our “Hot Takes” on pizza. And we didn’t even talk about pineapple on pizza. We dive into pizza styles. Whether toppings go over or under the cheese, chicken’s place, charring on pizza, olives, best cheese on pizza, childhood pizzas and more.  We’re also inviting you to send us your “Hot Takes”. We’re giving a fresh direction on the old-fashioned letters to the editor. We call it “Hot Take”. Do you have a “Hot Take” on a subject relevant to pizzeria operators and the pizza business? This is a space for you, the pizza professional, to share your passionate and succinct opinion with fellow pizzeria operators.   Hot Take is designed to allow you to share personal narratives and commentary, challenge industry norms, introduce big ideas or offer a new perspective. It’s an opportunity to focus on hot-button pizzeria topics, from operational concerns, trends, safety and community to workplace culture, technology and everything in between.   Our “Hot Take” section is a dynamic and interactive way for Pizza Today and our readers to capture the pulse of what’s on the minds of pizzeria operators with urgency and personality. Hot Takes are short writings in an informal style, usually written in first person.    If you have a Hot Take, we want to hear from you.   To submit a Hot Take:  Email Denise at [email protected] or Kate at [email protected]   Format: Subject: HOT TAKE with Pizza Today – (Topic Discussed)   Headline (Limit 65 characters)  Your Hot Take should be between 300-800 words in paragraph format. Be sure your Hot Take is concise, informative and remains on the subject matter.   Your Name:  Pizzeria:  City and State:  <<FOR OFFICE USE ONLY>>  Email and Phone to verify identity and information.  

Send us a textPizza Expo and Pizza Today have done it again. We’re rolling into Columbus, Ohio, with a power-packed two days of connection with products, services and tech, gathering with pizzeria people, competing in world-class competitions and learning from more than 30 education seminars, demos and workshops. Just over 60 days aways from the Midwest show, we’re dedicating this episode to talking Pizza Expo Columbus. The Pizza Today team also chat about the industry, dough and pizza toppings. Learn more about Pizza Expo Columbus: https://pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com/  Go straight to REGISTION HERE!   Show Notes: Be sure to make you voice heard in our 2025 Pizzeria Operator Survey.  TAKE THE ALL OPERATOR SURVEY NOW! National Pizza Month in October is approaching fast. Go to the National Pizza Month Pizzeria Tool Kit: https://pizzatoday.com/nationalpizzamonth/   

Send us a textThis week is a very special episode of The Hot Slice podcast as we announce the premiere of the John Arena episode of The Secret Ingredient, a pizza documentary series that takes an in depth look at the pizzeria industry through the eyes of its world-class pizza makers. Tommy Schneider, owner of Tommy’s Pizzeria in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, took his love for the pizza community to another level. We’ve been working with Tommy to share his passion project. Coming to PizzaToday.com August 20, 7:15 p.m. (Eastern Time), the World Premiere of The Secret Ingredient: John Arena (https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/world-premiere-of-pizza-documentary-series-the-secret-ingredient-john-arena/ )The pizzeria owner turned filmmaker provides an intimate look at John Arena, pizza master and pizza community champion in his new series, The Secret Ingredient. John Arena is co-founder of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas and Truly Pizza in Dana Point, California. He’s a pizza industry icon, mentor and inspiration to manyJoin the watch party and stick around after for a post-premiere panel with John Arena, Tommy Schneider and the Pizza Today team. https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/world-premiere-of-pizza-documentary-series-the-secret-ingredient-john-arena/  Show Notes: CALLING ALL PIZZERIA OPERATORS: Please take 5-10 minutes to share what's happening in your pizzeria. Help us shape the conversation around critical industry trends, challenges, and opportunities. Take the survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8378390/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2025  Register now for Pizza Expo Columbus in October. https://registration.pizzaexpocolumbus.com/event/2025/regProcessStep1:05c72c9c-538b-4a37-91a0-7d9d2bb840ae?RefID=WSRF07&utm_campaign=pizzatoday&utm_content=WSRF07&utm_medium=news&utm_source=website&rp=7f98670f-de89-448c-aab8-467850f964c7