&pizza

&pizza
Founded Washington, DC (2012 (2012))
Number of locations
 19
Website www.andpizza.com

&pizza is a fast-casual pizza brand headquartered in Washington, D.C. According to their mission statement, the company is known for their gourmet handmade pizza pies, trademark ampersand, inventive flavor combinations, localized store design, and dedication to the communities they serve.[1] Founded in July 2012 by Michael Lastoria and Steve Salis, &pizza opened its first store in the H Street Corridor of Washington, D.C.[2] In February 2015, the company announced it had received a $10-million investment for growth and expansion.[3] &pizza has 300+ employees referred to as tribe members.[1]

The company's pizzas are made with traditional or ancient grain dough, with toppings that vary from tomato sauce and veggies to the more unusual fig balsamic, 39-Day Aged Pepperoni, and pickled red onions.[4]

&pizza introduced gluten-free dough in their shops in 2015.[5] &pizza also serves house-made craft sodas. &WINE, proprietary red and white wines, were introduced in 2015.[6] Most recently, &pizza has introduced &TEA, small batch, handcrafted teas with organic sugar.

Operation and distribution

All &pizza locations are company-owned, rather than franchised. As of July 2016, &pizza owns and operates 19 locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[7] Co-Founder Michael Lastoria serves as the CEO of the company.[8]

Corporate management

The &pizza team includes a residing corporate office of managers and staff, and its board of directors. The top management team consists of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. Six individuals currently sit on the board of directors including: Sandy Beall, founder and former longtime CEO of Ruby Tuesday; Joe Farina, former partner at Fireman Capital Partners; Edward Albertian, former CEO of City Sports Inc.; and John Barton, operating partner with the private equity group LNK Partners.[9]

Culture

Since its founding &pizza has focused on supporting the local community through &CHARITY, its multi-faceted philanthropic arm. &CHARITY’s very first sponsorship was the Gallaudet University all-deaf rugby team.[10] Through &CHARITY, &pizza has donated $20,000 to Martha’s Table and DC Central Kitchen, and hosted a mozzarella-making class for Brainfood and a pizza-making party with DC Autism Parents. All together &CHARITY have supported over 500 local causes.[11]

&pizza has been recognized for their rewards program. This program is run through their app where customers can earn swag and unlock new levels of loyalty. A customer reaches the highest level, "Maverick," by spending $1,500. The company will pay for Mavericks to receive a tattoo at Laughing Hyena Tattoo Shop.[10] To date 50 employees, which &pizza refers to as “tribe members” have already received the ampersand tattoo.[12]

Design

U Street Location Interior

&pizza has been noted for their unique store design that incorporates the culture and characteristics of the surrounding neighborhood.[13] For example, the K Street location located near the White House features three black-and-white images of John F. Kennedy in sunglasses and the U Street location has an enormous brass ampersand, emblematic of that area’s rich jazz history.[13]

Awards

&pizza has been recognized by the Washington Post as the pizza shop of the 21st century.[14] They have also received numerous awards for their pizza including Washington Post Express, Best place to grab a quick lunch (2015) Best Vegetarian (2015,2014),[15] Washington City Paper Best of DC, Best Restaurant When You Pay (2016,2015,2014,2013), Best Gluten-Free Menu (2016), Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant (2016), Best Late-Night Eats (2016), Best Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant (2016), Best Downtown Lunch (2016) and Best Fast Casual Dining (2016)[16] Bethesda Magazine, Best New Fast Casual [17] Buzzfeed, 21 Delicious DC Eats that Won’t Break the Bank[18] and The Next Chipotle, 11 Chains about to blow up in 2015 [19] &pizza was most recently recognized as number 7 in the Top 100 Fast Casual by FastCasual.com and DC Inno's Coolest Company reader’s choice 2016. [20] [21]

Michael Lastoria, Co-Founder and CEO of &pizza has been recognized as an innovator and leader in the fast casual space. Named 40 under 40 by The Washington Business Journal in 2016 [22] Michael was also chosen as Reader's Pick for The Power List 2016 by National Restaurant News.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "&pizza". Andpizza.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  2. ↑ "Cash infusion to bring 4 more &pizza locations to D.C. area". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  3. ↑ Bhattarai, Abha (2015-03-02). "The cronut? So last year. D.C.'s latest food fad is conveyor-belt pizzas.". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  4. ↑ "Opening Alert: &pizza". &pizza. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  5. ↑ Release, Press (2015-05-18). "&GLUTEN-FREE - &pizza Adds Gluten-Free Dough to Its Menu". Pizza Today. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  6. ↑ Release, Press (2015-06-12). "&pizza Launches Its Own Wines Perfectly Paired for Pizza". Pizza Today. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  7. ↑ "&pizza to Open at Pike & Rose Friday - Bethesda Beat - Bethesda, MD". Bethesdamagazine.com. 2015-06-09. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  8. ↑ "Conversation with Michael Lastoria, &pizza, Washington, DC". Pizza Today. 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  9. ↑ "Fast-casual pizza restaurant &pizza prepares for growth". Nrn.com. 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  10. 1 2 Hayes, Laurel (2015-01-22). 10 Things You Didn't Know About &Pizza. Thrillist.com.
  11. ↑ Moody, Erica (2015-07-02). "Who's Next: Michael Lastoria | Washington Life Magazine". Washingtonlife.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  12. ↑ "This local pizza chain pays for employee tattoos — of the company's logo". Nrn.com. 2016-07-09. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  13. 1 2 "The Differentiators". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  14. ↑ Bhattarai, Abha (2015-12-03). "Free tattoos, elixirs and hopped cola: Is this the pizza shop for the 21st century?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  15. ↑ Simmons, Holley (2014-10-16). "The best places to eat in D.C.: Rose's Luxury, Smoke & Barrel, Pitango Gelato and more". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  16. ↑ "Best of DC 2016". 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  17. ↑ "Best New Fast Casual (Editors' Pick)". Bethesdamagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  18. ↑ "21 Delicious D.C. Eats That Won't Break The Bank". Buzzfeed.com. 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  19. ↑ Gentile, Dan (2015-03-19). "The Next Chipotle - Fast Casual Chains". Thrillist.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  20. ↑ "2016 Fast Casual Top 100". 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  21. ↑ "2016 Coolest Companies". 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  22. ↑ "WBJ40Under402016". bizjournals.com. 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  23. ↑ "The Power List 2016: Reader Picks". 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
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