Pizza Today - September 2018 - 70

thousands in attorney's fees.
Nash's background is filled with pizza
restaurant experience. "I felt like it had
to be pizza," Nash says. "It was the only
thing that I had relevant experience
in and that I felt passionate about and
I knew it well enough. I never really
considered myself a culinary guy or a
chef. And there is something about pizza
that just fits right underneath that. I
always thought of it as a job that I loved
to have. It was sort of my fraternity
throughout college, the fact that I went
to my pizza restaurant every night and
worked and saw my friends, and I loved
it. I wanted to recreate that vibe because
I had seen it work before. I knew the
things that made it work well and I knew
the things that made it not work well."
While Laura coordinated the build
out, Nash gathered a team to solidify
the menu centered on condensed
offerings of New York-style specialty
pies, slices and a few other offerings like
sandwiches and salads.
During the construction phase,
the Neelys became very active in the
neighborhood association and area
business association. In such a tight-knit
neighborhood, it was vital for the couple
to build local engagement and rally the
community to champion the pizzeria.
THE NEELYS OPENED THE POST
IN JANUARY 2015, a year and a half
after purchasing the nostalgic building.
The finished rehab fit perfectly into its
surroundings. "It's one of the things
that I am most proud about is that
despite the fact that everything in there
except for the shell of it is brand new,
it feels like it has been here for a long
time," Laura says.
Even the restaurant's name and
branding paid homage to the building's
heritage.
The community embraced The
Post from the onset and the Neelys
had an instant hit on their hands. The
7 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8

Neelys say they owe its success to the
staff, who has a stake in the decisionmaking. Laura and Nash created their
employment structure and programs
based on empowerment. They envisioned
a restaurant where they were not required
to be in the shop at all hours of the day.
"A large part of it is building trust and
that comes from time together and some
of these guys I've known since well before
we opened..." Nash says. "That sort of
mentality has been a catalyst in them
taking ownership and feeling like they are
a part of it and they want to run it...they
have the business's best interests when
they are making decisions in there, and
that's the biggest factor."
The Post operates with a general
manager that also serves as a kitchen
manager along with Nash and two front
of house managers. "They tag team doing
scheduling, new-hire training and stay
on top of cleanliness," Nash says.
The Post's crew performs in a high-

volume environment in the 90-seat
space. Thirty percent of the business
comes from carryout. It is the area
where they have been refining and
honing for efficiency.
The Neelys considered delivery,
but it didn't fit their footprint or staff
structure. It's a source, Nash says,
they can look at down the road for
additional revenue.
A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO
THE POST'S MORE THAN
$2.2 MILLION in annual gross sales

is its slice business. "I love that we sold
close to 200,000 slices of pepperoni
last year," Nash says. "That just seems
insane to me. It's so simple and basic,
but it's still the best thing on the menu.
It's quick, it's easy, it's cheap. People are
still learning it and we are still growing
those sales."
On its specialty pizzas menu, Nash
says, "The White Flag, South Pacific
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