In the past two years, SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza has embarked on a growth experiment. Training experienced staff to take the helm of new locations, the brand, which started in 2005 in the greater Kansas City area, opened 10 units, more than doubling its footprint. The company spread out its influence as well, opening a store in the San Francisco Bay Area, four in Dallas, three in Kansas City, one on the University of Central Missouri campus, and another in Lawrence, Kansas—home of the University of Kansas. Two more restaurants, in Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska, are under construction.
“We had a period of fast growth, which went well. We want to make sure that we maintain a discipline of growing only to the degree we have experienced managers who understand our culture,” says Ed Brownell, a partner in SPIN!, noting that two locations will open in 2017.
What sets the brand apart is twofold. First, the recipes are developed in collaboration with James Beard Award–winning chef Michael Smith. Secondly, the company deploys a hybrid model of sorts when it comes to service. Guests order at the counter and, after sitting down, are waited on by a server who brings food and drinks and takes care of dishes.
