What’s the secret to launching a successful pizzeria with minimal resources and a tiny space?
In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Paul, the self-taught pizza master behind Pie Trap Pizza, a thriving pizzeria born from a backyard hobby. Located next to a brewery, Paul shares his journey of perseverance, innovation, and the power of great ingredients—all packed into a 400-square-foot space that’s making a big impact.
Highlights:
Sweet Rent Deals and Minimal Overhead: How a favorable rent agreement helped them weather financial dips.
Keeping It Simple: Why they initially only offered pizza and sodas—and how simplicity gave them control.
Small Menu, Big Flavor: Adding Detroit-style pizza, knots, wings, and a signature Calabrian Caesar salad to the menu.
The Build-Out Journey: From bare studs to a fully equipped kitchen, including stories about plumbing, electrical, and tenant improvement pitfalls.
The Power Puzzle: Managing electrical loads with a Pizza Master oven in a small space, including tales of a temperamental technician and complex wiring setups.
Learning from Others: Insights gained from attending the Pizza Expo and meeting legends in the pizza world.
Perfect Pizza Baking Temperatures: The significance of temperature adjustments in the cooking process, including starting with a lower heat to achieve a crispier, longer-lasting crust.
Dough Perfection: The critical role of dough fermentation in achieving the ideal pizza texture, with a special focus on 4-5 day fermentation to achieve the perfect balance of crispiness and flavor.
Check out Pie Trap Pizza here:
https://www.instagram.com/pietrappizza/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/pietrappizza/
Thank you to our show sponsors:
Corto Olive Oil:
https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1808352&u=2800064&m=112748&urllink=&afftrack=
Ooni Pizza:
https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=77074&awinaffid=1800006&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ooni.com
Bacio Cheese:
https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/
email me: eidref@whatsgooddough.comCamera and Audio Provided by Tristan Marr and Alexia Refil
Topics:
Commissary model
Commissary kitchen
Multi-unit pizza empire
Commissary-driven restaurants
Restaurant operations efficiency
Streamlining restaurant processes
Consistency in restaurant operations
Commissary kitchen setup
Centralized food production
Batch cooking for restaurants
Multi-location pizza business
Commercial food storage capacity
Walk-in refrigeration space
Scaling pizza restaurants
Food production efficiency
Commercial kitchen equipment
Restaurant commissary logistics
Pasteurization process for marinara
Shelf life of sauces
High-volume pizza production
Cloud kitchen model
Stadium food service logistics
Vinaigrette preparation in bulk
Quality control in pizza production
Cold storage management
Centralized sauce and dough production
Pizza dough and sauce consistency