Pizza Today - March 2016 - 105

T

he Bajalieh brothers grew up in
their parents' sandwich shop in
Birmingham, Alabama, so
going into the restaurant business
together came naturally to Chris,
Jason and Jeff. They continued their late
father's legacy by reopening Sol's Sandwich Shop and Deli in 2008. "My mother
and father are the foundation of our
success because they built in the qualities
that it takes to work together," Jeff says.
The three didn't stop there. They had a
vision to build a concept, even multiple
concepts, from the ground up. "A lot of
the reasons that we wanted to do pizza
is because we knew pizza, but we knew
it could be done better," Chris says.
Jeff spent more than 10 years as a
Domino's franchisee. "We wanted to
be on our own platform and be creative
and innovative in our own
way and be able to sell beer
too because pizza and beer go
good together," he says. "We
wanted to give it the localized
feel and foster community
spirit."
Slice Pizza & Brewhouse
was born, opening in the
Bajaliehs' hometown in 2011.
Pizza Today took an up-close
look at Slice during a visit last
December.
In four years, Slice has
risen to No. 86 on Pizza
Today's Hot 100 Independent
Pizzerias list at $2.8 million
in annual sales and is posed
to climb amid recent growth.
"We should hit $3.5 million this year,"
Jeff says during our visit, anticipating
2015 year-end figures.
Situated in a refurbished craftsmanstyle house, Slice has an instant inviting,
cozy and homey feel. Perched on a
hill above the neighborhood, its patio
has become a destination for people
watching in the Lakeview District. The
Bajaliehs invested heavily in its huge

patio with landscaping and seating that
totals 170 inside and out. Indoor and
outdoor fireplaces add to the ambiance.
The pizza operation lives by its
motto: "Eat local. Drink local. Be
local." Slice sources its produce locally,

fills its taps with Alabama-brewed beers
and commits its entire operation to
community outreach.
"Local dollars create local economy
when you spend it within your state
lines," Jason says.
Community engagement extends far
beyond sales-donation nights at Slice.
Though the pizzeria fills its weekly
calendar with those - they call them
"Dough Raisers." Jason says its about
"getting out there and putting our
money where our mouth is, so to speak,

going to events and having ourselves be
visible and our voices be heard."
Slice has donated more than $80,000
to local 501(c)3 organizations through
direct donations, gift cards and special
events, like its annual Slice Fest, which
raised $18,000 last year for local groups.
Find more on the block party festival,
Slice Fest, at PizzaToday.com/more/
SliceFest.

Birmingham has responded to Slice's
generosity and dedication to food
creativity and quality with patronage.
The pizzeria has received the city's "best
of " accolades four years running.
The Bajaliehs' collaboration is
the backbone of the business and each
brother knows his role. "There are many
aspects to running a restaurant, so a
three-headed monster is better than a
one-headed monster," Jason jokes.
Chris adds: "Jeff is probably more
of the working the floor guy, whereas
Jason's is better in the PR area, and
I kind of handle what things cost us.
It naturally falls into place like that.
Some of that is our strengths that really
make it work, collaborating all of those
together."
While the brothers are
hands-on, they have also
ventured out to open other
restaurant and lounge
concepts in the area, so
the Slice staff plays an
active role in the restaurant
success and growth. The
Bajaliehs are able to juggle
multiple concepts by
establishing a culture of
family and empowerment
with their employees.
As they look for new
hires, Jason says, they are
not looking for people to
just work at the pizzeria.
"Come help us grow," he
tells applicants. "Come be a
part of it. Come ride the ride with us."
Pizza Today sat down with head chef
Terrill Brazelton, who exemplifies the
pride the Slice crew of 50 takes in the
restaurant. He calls the shots in the
kitchen and on the menu. "When you
don't have anyone saying, 'you can't do
that or you can't order that,' there are no
limitations," he says. "It's awesome to
have that much freedom as a chef."
M A R C H 2 0 1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 1 0 5
http://www.PizzaToday.com/more/SliceFest http://www.PizzaToday.com/more/SliceFest http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2016

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