In the last 18 or so months, our brand announced the launch of a national franchise program and has since inked over 100 deals open or under development spanning from California to Nevada, to Texas, Colorado, and Utah. A staple in San Francisco’s historic Italian neighborhood of North Beach, the original Slice House is known for its award-winning New York, Sicilian, Grandma, Detroit, and California-style pizzas, and today, our franchise teams look forward to bringing the experience to new locations across the U.S.
One of the things I’m most proud of is we’ve built a team of hands-on veterans with over 30 years of experience in a multi-billion-dollar pizza industry, including masterminds George Karpaty, Trevor Hewitt, and Bill Ginsburg. A hundred units is a testament to the strength of the brand and the hard work of our veteran team and dedicated operators. Our first year and a half was met by such incredible enthusiasm and demand from the market, we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2024 brings. We look forward to opening additional locations to offer our authentic, award-winning pizza to new communities across the country.
Since officially introducing franchise opportunities in July 2022, we’ve experienced rapid growth, signing multi-unit deals in the Bay Area, Southern California, Texas, Utah, and Colorado. More recently, we’ve built upon the nationwide program to offer franchisees even greater support and value, including a partnership with global leader in real estate services JLL, and welcoming Megan Oppelt, vice president of marketing, along with fractional chief technology officer, David Denton.
What was your first job?
Other than working on my family’s farm, my first job was at McDonald’s. I remember barely getting trained and at the time, I believe I was 15 years old, and they were paying about $4.25 an hour, which was a big deal at that time. I was taking a home economics course and heard that McDonald’s was hiring, so I decided to apply. I was hired and went through some basic training. It was one of those McDonald’s that on the sign said, “over a billion served.” It was extremely busy. It was my first real day, and I was making hamburgers. Another guy left and they told me to get on the quarter pounder line which I hadn’t been trained on. There was a sea of people that came in during lunch. It was absolutely crazy, and I couldn’t handle it. I had no help and no support. It was just me and after about three hours, I went to the bathroom to hide for a minute and think about what I was going to do. The manager came out and I told him I got sick and needed to go home. It was embarrassing, but it was tough, and I couldn’t do it. I was by myself making 60 to 80 burgers at once, so I ran across the street to a bowling alley, called my parents from a payphone and my dad picked me up. I put my head down and cried a little bit because I felt that he was very disappointed.
What’s your favorite menu item at Slice House?
That’s like a dad picking his favorite son. Our Detroit style in any combination and grandma are absolutely amazing. If I had to choose a combination or two, the purple potato and or hot honey pizzas are delicious. A new one called the Burrata queen is also great.”
What’s your favorite cuisine aside from Slice House?
I love lots of cuisines—Korean barbecue, Mexican, Thai, Cantonese, French, American, and Sushi. I’m easy and I love food.
Who inspires you as a leader?
My grandfather always inspired me. Growing up, I farmed with him, and he was the hardest working man I ever knew. He was a farmer growing primarily apricots, cherries, and fava beans, but we grew everything. We had figs, persimmons, oranges, lemons, avocados, peaches, nectarines, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, chickens. It was a beautiful place to grow up. In the competitive world, Michael Jordan was someone I looked up to. I have competed in a lot in different competitions over the years. I even compete with myself—always trying to get better. During my childhood, my dad was my soccer coach and in sports, you always want to be better and faster, so I bring that philosophy and DNA into the kitchen when I work.
What’s the best piece of advice that other restaurant executives should hear?
Being able to adapt to change, understanding your concept and knowing that what people want may be different than what you want. It’s always interesting to see what works in different demographics or areas and what doesn’t. The versatility and diversity of a menu is also very important. I like to stick with quality ingredients, and you shouldn’t be afraid to raise prices when needed. It took me 17 years to open my own first restaurant, but I’m glad it took that long, because it wouldn’t have been what it is now if I had opened sooner. The infrastructure of a restaurant (and multiple restaurants as you grow) is so important, and the business and the accounting are so valuable. Hire the right team of key players—people that can help you grow, but also will have the opportunity to grow with you. Understanding operations and knowing how you’re always trying to improve each day is important.
What are some of your interests outside of work?
I have a lot of hobbies. I have been collecting comics, cards, toys, trains, cigarette lighters, and autographs, since I was 10 years old, and I still collect today. I love photography, soccer, working out, and working on cars. I have a few classic cars that I go to car shows with and I have been trying to get my son to get into it lately. He and my wife and I have been surfing, skiing, and ice skating. It’s been awesome because we’ve been doing this together and he’s my little buddy.
