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This 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 many

Join 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

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Darius Aram pulled into Slice Street Pizza in Dripping Springs, Texas, to find that his hop was completely cut off due to unexpected construction. In the face of huge sales dip and little information on the construction project, he decided to handle the obstacle with humor and humility.

Darius’ response to the closure helped mitigate some of the impact of a near shutdown. He had honest and direct conversations with his town officials to work through solutions to speed up the sidewalk project.

Social media has played a pivotal role in Slice Street Pizza ability to reach its customers with lighthearted viral posts in the construction site and at town hall. Darius jokingly says he’s become an internet meme.

Listen as Darius shares the tale of his construction woes and the unforeseen positive outcome from a negative situation.

Check out Slice Street Pizza’s Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/slicestreetpizza/ . Learn more about the pizzeria at https://slicestreetpizza.com/ .

Show Notes:

Calling all Pizzeria Operators: Don’t forget to complete your Annual Pizzeria Industry & Trends Survey at https://pizzatoday.com/be-counted-pizzeria-operator-survey-portal/ .

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today we have George Gilliam, owner of Uncle G’s Pizza in Birmingham, Alabama. George reached out to us to do a story on how he has doubled and tripled slow days at the restaurant. The conversion was so captivating that we wanted to share it on the podcast.

Gilliam set a strategy into motion to turn his slowest days into high-volume sales days. He focused on increasing sales with daily specials one slow day at a time until he covered the entire week. “This kind of aggressive weekday programming has brought in the traffic and revenue we needed on nights that used to be dead,” he says. “I’ve built out a weekly schedule that gives people a clear reason to visit every single day.”

He approached each day with a new special and/or event and shares which days he started with. Uncle G’s promotes the days through its social accounts, e-mail and in store. It’s designed as weekly programming that Gilliam says people can build into their routines.

The conversation on social media led into a genuine talk on AI and advanced technology and their role in small independent pizzerias.

Read our article with George “Doubling to Tripling a Restaurant’s Slow Day Sales” at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/brand-marketing/doubling-to-tripling-a-restaurants-slow-day-sales/

Learn more about Uncle G’s Pizza at https://unclegspizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/unclegspizza/

Show Notes:

Find out who is this year’s Pizzeria of the Year at https://PizzaToday.com.

Be on the lookout in your inbox for our annual Pizzeria Operator Trends & Outlook Survey!

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Listen to Melina Piroso Felix, owner-operator of The Pizza Bandit in Denver on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today

Melina Piroso Felix had an established career in marketing and branding when the pandemic prompted her to rethink her goals in 2020. Prior to that point, she had graduated from being the night manager at her uncle’s restaurant in Miami’s South Beach district to undertake a successful career in graphic design. But Piroso Felix never left pizza entirely behind. She often made pizza for dinner guests, potlucks and to scratch an itch while designing restaurant menus.

Years into the pandemic experiment that became The Pizza Bandit food truck, Pirosso Felix found a home at a multiple-concept food hall in a bustling, youthful Denver neighborhood. Surrounded by a Thai concept on one side and healthful bowls on the other, The Pizza Bandit is known for its scratch-made sauces and high-quality ingredients.

Since moving into the spot this spring, Piroso Felix has added sandwiches and ice cream floats to the menu, but she emphasizes that her vision is far from complete.

Show Notes:

Melina Piroso Felix is one of Pizza Today magazine’s 2025 Rising Stars. Learn more about her and the other five pizzaiolos selected for this honor in the July issue of Pizza Today.

Registration is now open for Pizza Expo Columbus in October. Competitors: Be sure to register early to reserve your spot in the Great American Pizza Challenge. More details at: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-expo-columbus-registration-is-now-open/

If you have an interest in being a judge at the Great American Pizza Challenge, complete a Great American Pizza Challenge (GAPC) Volunteer Judging Application 2025.

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Listen to Jhy Coulter, restaurateur and creator of Orange by Devoured in Kansas City on The Hot Slice by Pizza Today

Jhy Coulter has always felt at home when working at restaurants. Even as her graphic design career grew, Coulter often kept a part-time job to stay close to the food industry. On Aug. 15, she will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her Kansas City-based pizzeria, Orange by Devoured.
In this episode of The Hot Slice, she shares how she started offering pizzas to family and friends through the fence during the coronavirus pandemic – an operation that grew first to include pop-up events and, ultimately, her first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Coulter also reveals how spending time in Spain changed the trajectory of her life and career forever. Today, she works to incorporate elements of Spanish cuisine into the menu at Orange while being mindful of what she can sell in a restaurant market on the brink of skyrocketing to the next level while accommodating events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Show Notes: 
Jhy Coulter is one of Pizza Today magazine’s 2025 Rising Stars. Learn more about her and the other five pizzaiolos selected for this honor in the July issue of Pizza Today.

Registration is now open for Pizza Expo Columbus in October. Competitors: Be sure to register early to reserve your spot in the Great American Pizza Challenge. More details at: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-expo-columbus-registration-is-now-open/ 

If you have an interest in being a judge at the Great American Pizza Challenge, complete a Great American Pizza Challenge (GAPC) Volunteer Judging Application 2025. 

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This month Davide Lubrano has been named a Rising Star of the Pizza Industry. We sat down with Davide and Vince Gallagher, co-owners of the two-unit Pizzata Pizzeria in Philadelphia.

We talk about Davide’s recognition and his recent pizza competition winning streak at Pizza Expo and in Italy. They also share the other benefits of competing.

Pizzata is growing. They recently added a commissary. We talk logistics and equipment, as well as how it is helping the two Pizzata locations thrive, while also planning expansion.

He and friend Vinny Gallagher – along with Davide’s brother, Ciro Lubrano – opened Pizzata Pizzeria as a New York-style slice shop in Philly’s Rittenhouse area in late 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ready to grow, they embarked on Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria in 2024 with a spacious footprint, indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar and a full, expanded menu.

Read Davide’s Rising Stars feature in Pizza Today: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/davide-lubrano-lavadera-pizzata-pizzeria-philadelphia-pennsylvania-rising-star/

Learn more about Pizzata Pizzeria at https://www.pizzatapizzeria.com/ and on Instagram at @Pizzata_pizzeria, @Pizzata_birreria, @Obsession_pizza

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This week, we catch up with the great Mike Bausch. He brings such knowledge, energy and leadership to the pizza community. Mike now has 12 restaurants in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, including Andolini’s Pizzeria and a newer fine dining spot, Prossimo Ristorante. He’s an Oklahoma’s Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year, No. 1 Amazon best-selling author, Tulsa’s Restauranteur of the Year and a two-time Guinness World Record holder. You can find him each month in the pages of Pizza Today Magazine in his Column “Mike’s Monthly Tip”, where he shares advice and experiences with fellow pizzeria operators.

In a time of uncertainty for many restaurants, Andolini’s is having a banner year. We talk about why and how his restaurants are finding success.

Mike always shares candidly his failures and successes to help other restaurant owners. We talk about what restaurants are currently up against.

If you need a business pep talk, this is the episode for you. Mike drops a lot of wisdom in a short podcast.

Learn more about Andolini’s Pizzeria at https://andopizza.com/ and follow Mike Bausch on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mikeybausch/

Check out his latest Mike’s Monthly Tip “Weather the Storm, Build the Bond” at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/operations/mikes-monthly-tip-weather-the-storm-build-the-bond/

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Muhammad Abdul-Hadi just finished a national book tour for his first release, We the Pizza. Since opening Down North Pizza in North Philadelphia in 2021, he has been on a whirlwind of success, from creating Down North Foundation, winning a James Beard Leadership Award and publishing his book.
We chat with Muhammad about the book and how its stories and recipes that work to reduce recidivism rates. Down North Pizza was founded to offer killer pizza and employ formerly incarcerated individuals. Muhammad shares how Down North was built to foster opportunities and resources.
Down North serves up a Philly version of Detroit style pizza. Muhammad details how he got his start in pizza. We also learn what’s next for Muhammad and the Down North Pizza brand.
Learn more about Down North Pizza at https://www.downnorthpizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/downnorth_pizza/.

Show Notes:
Registration is now open for Pizza Expo Columbus in October. Competitors: Be sure to register early to reserve your spot in the Great American Pizza Challenge. More details at: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-expo-columbus-registration-is-now-open/

If you have an interest in being a judge at the Great American Pizza Challenge, complete a Great American Pizza Challenge (GAPC) Volunteer Judging Application 2025 at

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbvLPlkTjLGwZdbaheeyrOQrfv6GWFZLF658OXIXhKUONU8A/viewform .