Pizza Today - March 2020 - 73

R

egents Pizzeria in
La Jolla, California,
is a powerhouse of a
single-unit restaurant,
generating 5.2
million in annual gross sales in
2019. Its staggering sales earned
Regents a spot in the Top 50
on Pizza Today's 2019 Hot 100
Independent Pizzerias list.
Pizza Today visited Regents
in January to find out what
drives its success. Co-owner
Bill Vivian summed up the
restaurant brilliantly. "Magic
happens when you have those
three elements of food, service,
facility on a bedrock of a solid

"We actually built that
from half a million to
$2.5 million in that tiny little
space by the end of 2014,"
Vivian says. Restaurateurs
often ask Vivian how Regents
was able to increase its sales so
significantly in the same space.
"It was all about improving
food quality and service
quality," he says. While others
in the market attempted to level
pricing by any means necessary,
"We chose to improve the
ingredients and raise the
prices," says Vivian, who joined
the partnership in 2008.
Vivian says he and Carson

"Magic happens when you
have those three elements of
food, service, facility on a
bedrock of a solid culture,"

Left to Right: Assistant
GM Dani Dami, GM/
Partner Cary Reutter and
co-owner Bill Vivian

- Co-owner Bill Vivian
culture," he says.
Regents Pizzeria's rise
initiated long before it moved
into its beautiful 4,100 squarefoot corner restaurant in
December of 2014.
In 2005, a talented chef,
Stephen Carson, bought the
under-performing pizzeria in
the back of a commercial center
in La Jolla near University of
California San Diego. It was
across the parking lot from
from where it currently resides.
The 1,100 square-foot pizzeria
served New York and Chicagostyle pizza. Carson kept the
name and pizza styles.
General Manager Cary
Reutter joined the team eight
months after Carson took over
the restaurant. Reutter, Carson
and Vivian set out to refine
the concept and apply Carson's
philosophies on food.

also spent a lot of time traveling
to restaurants regionally
and around the country
benchmarking operations that
excelled in various aspects of
the business. It helped them
shape their operation and
employee culture.
Just as the pizzeria was
building momentum, tragedy
struck. Carson developed
Melanoma and died in 2011,
leaving Cason's wife and father,
along with Vivian and newly
joined Reutter as partners of
the restaurant.
Before his passing,
Carson and Vivian visited
Pizzeria Mozza in Los
Angeles. They loved the
restaurant so much that later
Vivian says they tracked down
its architect, George Kelly, to
design the new restaurant.
Kelly created a sleek, modern
M A R C H 2 0 2 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 7 3



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Pizza Today - March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - March 2020

Pizza Today - March 2020
Commentary
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Meet The Makers
Conversation
Man On The Street
Tony’s Trending Recipe
Knead To Know
Destinations
Customer Service Culture
Self-Ordering Kiosk
Meat Combo Pizzas
Trending Chili Peppers
Hot Topping: ‘Nduja
Understanding Cheese Prices
Text Marketing
Rewarding Staff
Increasing Frequency
Relationship Building
On The Road: Woodstock’s Pizza, San Diego, Ca
On The Road: Regents Pizzeria, La Jolla, Ca
Pizza Expo Preview
Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - March 2020 - CT1
Pizza Today - March 2020 - CT2
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Pizza Today - March 2020
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Cover2
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Commentary
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 4
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 5
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 6
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 7
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Contributors
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 9
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 11
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Meet The Makers
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 13
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Conversation
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 15
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Man On The Street
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 17
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Tony’s Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 19
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Knead To Know
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 21
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 22
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 23
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Destinations
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 25
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Customer Service Culture
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 27
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 28
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 29
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Self-Ordering Kiosk
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 31
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 32
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 33
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Meat Combo Pizzas
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 35
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 36
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 37
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Trending Chili Peppers
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 39
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 40
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 41
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Hot Topping: ‘Nduja
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 43
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 44
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 45
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Understanding Cheese Prices
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 47
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 48
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 49
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Text Marketing
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 51
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 52
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 53
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Rewarding Staff
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 55
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 56
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 57
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Increasing Frequency
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 59
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 60
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 61
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Relationship Building
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 63
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 64
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 65
Pizza Today - March 2020 - On The Road: Woodstock’s Pizza, San Diego, Ca
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 67
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 68
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 69
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 70
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 71
Pizza Today - March 2020 - On The Road: Regents Pizzeria, La Jolla, Ca
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 73
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 74
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 75
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 76
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 77
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Pizza Expo Preview
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 79
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 80
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 81
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 82
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 83
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 84
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 85
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 87
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 88
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 89
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 90
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 91
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 92
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 93
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 94
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 95
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 96
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 97
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 98
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 99
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 100
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 101
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 102
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 103
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 105
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 106
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 107
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 108
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 109
Pizza Today - March 2020 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 111
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 112
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 113
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 114
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 115
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 116
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 117
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 118
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 119
Pizza Today - March 2020 - 120
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Cover3
Pizza Today - March 2020 - Cover4
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