Pizza Today - August 2022 - 3

COMMENTARY
JEREMY WHITE
Contributors
Million Dollar Months
JOHN GUTEKANST
A
t Pizza Expo each year for
some time now there has been a
hugely popular workshop called
" Th e Million Dollar Pizzeria. " You see, even
despite infl ation (a million bucks in 2022
isn't what it was in 2000, 2010 or 2015, obviously)
that million-dollar mark is still a " pie
in the sky " dream for many operators. It's a
point the average pizzeria doesn't reach. But
everyone wants to get there.
Now, imagine if I told you there is a pizzeria
that routinely averages $1 million in sales
PER MONTH. Th at's right, $12 million per
year out of one location. Th at's next level.
And who do you think could pull that off ?
You've already seen the cover, so you already
know the answer to that question.
I often say that Tony Gemignani is the
Michael Jordan of the pizza industry. In his
column on page 12 this month, Mike Bausch
asserts the same. Point blank: there is no one
JEREMY WHITE
Editor In Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com
like Tony in this industry. He has impacted more
pizzerias - great ones and pedestrian ones alike
- than one can count. All the while building a
pizza business without rival.
A million-dollar month is absolutely insane.
Read all about that, and more, in Denise Greer's
coverage of Tony's Pizza Napoletana on page 40
and you'll quickly see why we named it our 2022
Pizzeria of the Year.
Congratulations, Tony. And, most importantly,
thank you.
Best,
Jeremy White
DENISE GREER
Executive Editor
(Pizzeria of the Year, pp. 40-49)
In my 11 years at Pizza Today, this
was my first trip to Tony's Pizza
Napoletana - creative director
Josh Keown's too. After the visit,
we talked about what an incredible
experience dining at Tony's was.
Watching as Tony knew customers
by name and seeing how the
operation was able to post milliondollar
months in that space is
moving and inspiring.
VOLUME 40 * NUMBER 8
AUGUST 2022
Owner, Avalanche Pizza, Athens, OH
(Pickles on Pizza, pp. 34-37)
Some people think that pairing
pickles with pizza is jarring but once
you work through this dill-emma,
you'll see people who dill-lite at the
taste and crunch. Whether your
gherkin hard at your job or off on
holiday, pickles on pizza is a Vlasic
case of new cuisine Claussen quite
a commotion. To most folks it's a
big dill, so just relish the moment.
Design: Josh Keown
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AUGUST 2022 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 3

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Pizza Today - August 2022

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