Pizza Today - April 2016 - 57

W

hen Pizza Today arrived at
Napizza's flagship location in San Diego's Little
Italy in January, the concept
shined through with its
quaint outdoor seating wrapped
around its corner building, its spot-on
vibrant branding inside and out, and
its eat-with-your eyes slice and salad
displays.
Little Italy was bustling with
mid-afternoon foot traffic from
the neighborhood, main tourist
arteries and area businesses. The
pizza competition on the block is
fierce, but that never worried owners
Giulia Colmignoli and Christopher
Antinucci.
"When we were creating the
concept, we decided we wanted to
get a prime location and invest in a
prime location because if the concept
doesn't work in a prime location, that
means the concept's not working,"
Colmignoli says. "We can't blame
where we are."
With a desire to bring a piece of
their native home of Rome, Italy, to
San Diego, the couple opened Napizza
in June of 2012. They have created
a fast-casual pizza concept centered
on a menu of gourmet Roman pizza
by the square and salads engineered
with a healthy focus. The unique
quick-serve concept differentiates
itself from its neighboring pizzerias
in Little Italy. "First, they are all sitdown restaurants. And two, we are
surrounded by businesses. So what
are they going to be looking for? Fast,
healthy food that doesn't make them
tired after they eat it," Colmignoli
says. "It was a win-win."
The first-time pizzeria owners had
faith in their concept and were able
to get the corner spot in a high-rent
district when the real estate market

was down in early 2012. "It was a safe
bet," Colmignoli says.
Today, Napizza has expanded into
two other area markets. The second
store was opened in the suburban
4S Commons Town Center in 2014.
The latest Napizza store opened
last summer in the hip and diverse
neighborhood of Hillcrest. "For us, the
second one was a little more like 'ok
it works in this (Little Italy) scenario,
let's see if it works in a suburb
scenario.' So we were kind of testing
as we go."
Napizza has flourished in all three
markets due to the focused brand and
concept Colmignoli and Antinucci
have built. "We are very easy to talk
to, so we wanted to create a brand
that was down to earth and creating
that type of brand that people could
relate to," Colmignoli says. The couple
concentrated on three key areas: the
product, the people and the planet.
The product

Napizza's fresh approach to pizza
and salads is on display for customers
and passersby to see in a vibrant space.
A colorful mix of square pizzas fill the
counter display and salad greens are
prominently displayed in baskets like
you would see at a farmer's market.
Everything is made in house at
each location. Ingredients are sourced
from local farms, with no chemicals
or preservatives. The flour comes from
a small family mill in Italy and the
dough is cold-fermented for 72 hours
before it is hand-pressed into large,
rectangular pans.
Colmignoli and Antinucci also
brought in a resident nutritionist to
help develop the pizzeria's menu and
work with specific customer requests.
The end result is a menu that uses
icons to highlight the health benefits

LEFT, OPPOSITE PAGE: Owners Guilia Colmignoli and Christopher Antinucci. TOP: Napizza incorporates
al fresco dining into their small foot-print. MIDDLE: Napizza displays a dozen pizzas, offered by the slice.
BOTTOM: Napizza's fast-casual, counter-service is a hit in walkable Little Italy.
A P R I L 2 0 1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 5 7


http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - April 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - April 2016

Pizza Today - April 2016
Commentary
Contents
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Interact
Conversation
Man on the Street
Respecting the Craft
Trending Recipes
Destinations
Dough Doctor
Worthy Remodels
Patio Seating
Making Your Own Breads
Think outside of your traditional dough recipe
Side Dishes
Online Employee Applications
Pizza Today on the Road: Napizza, San Diego, CA
Pizza Today on the Road: URBN, San Diego, CA
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Snapped
Pizza Today - April 2016 - CT1
Pizza Today - April 2016 - CT2
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Pizza Today - April 2016
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Cover2
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Commentary
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 4
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 5
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Contents
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 7
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 8
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 9
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Contributors
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 11
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 13
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Interact
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 15
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Conversation
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 17
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 19
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Respecting the Craft
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 21
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Trending Recipes
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 23
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Destinations
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 25
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Dough Doctor
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 27
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 28
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 29
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Worthy Remodels
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 31
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 32
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 33
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Patio Seating
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 35
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 36
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 37
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Making Your Own Breads
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 39
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 40
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 41
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Think outside of your traditional dough recipe
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 43
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 44
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 45
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 46
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 47
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Side Dishes
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 49
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 50
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 51
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Online Employee Applications
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 53
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 54
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 55
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Pizza Today on the Road: Napizza, San Diego, CA
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 57
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 58
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 59
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Pizza Today on the Road: URBN, San Diego, CA
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 61
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 62
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 63
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 64
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 66
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 67
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 69
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 70
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 71
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 72
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 73
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 74
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 75
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 76
Pizza Today - April 2016 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 78
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 79
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 80
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 81
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 82
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 83
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 84
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 85
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 86
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 87
Pizza Today - April 2016 - 88
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Snapped
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Cover3
Pizza Today - April 2016 - Cover4
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