Beyond its unique look at mozzarella sticks, supporting the community is one way Big Stick Willy’s aims to set itself apart, especially because the brand was founded under the idea of bringing life back to Manhattan.
“Every single person from literally day one until now was someone that was firsthand affected by COVID, whether they lost their job or they were sick from it,” Reynolds says. “I really like to bring the community into it.”
For Reynolds, the journey to Big Stick Willy’s present day was life-changing. Big Stick Willy’s now ships nationwide on its website and envisions a future similar to ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s: countless brick-and-mortar stores with a unique experience alongside a wide presence in the frozen food section at grocery stores.
“I want to change the way people think about and eat mozzarella sticks,” Reynolds says. “Whenever somebody talks about mozzarella sticks, I want them to think Big Stick Willy’s.”
Big Stick Willy’s is part of a larger ghost or virtual kitchen trend, one that Reynolds says is just at the tip of the iceberg.
“The whole market has just kind of evolved,” Reynolds says. “It was already heading that way very slowly, but the pandemic just kind of sped up everything because everyone was inside all day stuck on their phones and all their electronics, and that was essentially the only way you could get food.”