Pizza Today - December 2021 - 47
W
hen Dan Richer's first pizzeria
was booming and his upstart
second pizzeria struggling, up
for sale and on the brink of
closure, he did the exact opposite
of what one might expect. And
that gamble paid off hugely in
the long run.
The road to get here after
making that fateful decision may not have been easy,
but the result is an even bigger success story than
the original - and some serious bragging rights, to
boot. Razza, Richer's Jersey City, New Jersey-based
operation, is our 2021 Pizzeria of the Year.
But before we get to that, let's return to the
beginning.
" I owned a pizzeria in the Jersey suburbs for
10 years, " Richer says. " It was thriving. So in 2012 I
decided to open a second. "
Though his first operation had a different name,
Richer called the new pizzeria Razza. He set up shop
in Jersey City and went with a new dough formulation
that altered the end product. It was a massive leap
forward, in what he hoped would be an up-and-coming
neighborhood in a diverse city. And it was failing.
" You can't be two places at once, " Richer explains. " I
was trying to go back and forth between both. I had
two different teams that I was trying to lead, and my
focus was split and I didn't really feel like I was a part
of either team. "
After a few years of running himself into the ground
and seeing that Razza was about to go on life support,
Richer took his gamble.
" I actually had the pizzeria up for sale, " he explains.
The plan to download Razza and focus on his
profitable first store made so much sense. " And I got an
offer. I was all set to take it. And then I said, 'Nope. I'm
not ready to go. I believe in Jersey City, and I believe
in Razza and I want to see it through and wanted to
make it successful.' So in 2015 I sold my first pizzeria
and poured myself into Razza. "
You read that correctly. Richer sold a busy,
established, money-making pizzeria to focus on one
that had struggled to gain footing in a neighborhood
that hadn't yet come into its own.
" We were having a tough time getting guests in
the door, " Richer admits. " We only had 44 seats
at that time. And if you aren't filling 44 seats with
pizza, something has to be wrong. I think that the
neighborhood was trying to support us. And they did
to a degree - we stayed open. But people weren't
coming in during the winters. And nine years ago
there weren't as many people living in Jersey City. I
never thought we'd make it 10 years. Jersey City was a
DECEMBER 2021 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 47
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - December 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - December 2021
Commentary
Digital
Conversation
Mike's Monthly Tip
Man on the Street
Building Blocks
Tony's Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinations
Food Cost Myths
Year-End Appreciation
Ttrends From International Pizza Challenge 2021
Grated Cheese
Pizzeria of the Year: Razza Pizza Artigianale, Jersey City, NJ
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - December 2021 - CT1
Pizza Today - December 2021 - CT2
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover1
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover2
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Commentary
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 4
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 5
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 6
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 7
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Digital
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 9
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Conversation
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 11
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Mike's Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 13
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 15
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Building Blocks
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 17
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Tony's Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 19
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 21
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 22
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 23
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Destinations
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 25
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Food Cost Myths
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 27
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 28
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 29
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Year-End Appreciation
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 31
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 32
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 33
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Ttrends From International Pizza Challenge 2021
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 35
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 36
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 37
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 38
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 39
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Grated Cheese
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 41
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 42
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 43
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Pizzeria of the Year: Razza Pizza Artigianale, Jersey City, NJ
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 45
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 46
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 47
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 48
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 49
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 50
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 51
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 53
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 55
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 56
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 57
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 58
Pizza Today - December 2021 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 60
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 61
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 62
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 63
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 64
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 65
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover3
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover4
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