This week on the Pizza King Podcast, I’m bringing you a different kind of Takeout Tips episode.

Instead of one topic, I’m sharing a few quick conversations I recorded live from the Pizza Expo floor at the Perfect Crust booth. These are short interviews, but there’s a lot in them if you run a pizza shop, lead a team, or care about the craft.

You’ll hear from Tara Hattan of Andolini’s Pizza, world pizza champion and one of the most recognizable names in pizza acrobatics, Tony Scardino from Professor Pizza in Chicago, and Brett Geiger from Izzy’s Pizza, who shares his path from a Detroit-style pizza bus in Las Vegas to a brick-and-mortar shop in Nebraska.

We talk about competition, pressure, freestyle creativity, building a pizza concept around what you love, learning from the industry, and why being around the right people still matters. If you’re an owner, operator, or manager, there’s a good reminder in this one. Keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep talking to people who care about the work.

Let me know which guest you want to hear in a full-length episode.

Support the show

Join our free community on Skool

https://www.skool.com/tyrells-group-9324/about

Free Tools and Courses for Pizzeria Owners & Managers

Email: info@tyrellreed.com

Upcoming events and appearances:

California Restaurant Show August 24-26

What happens when an old-school pizza guy sits down and tells the truth?

In this episode of the Pizza King Podcast, I talk with Vito DeCandia of Angel City Pizza about what has changed in pizza, what still matters, and why so many operators get distracted by trends, lists, hype, and social media noise.

We get into old school vs new school pizza, what keeps customers coming back, why some shops should stop trying to be everything to everyone, and how to stay true to your product while still adapting to the market around you. Vito also shares his take on influencer culture, pizza rankings, authenticity, patience, and why respect still matters in this business.

If you own, operate, or manage a pizzeria, this one is for you. There are a lot of opinions in the pizza world right now. This conversation brings it back to product, people, consistency, and staying grounded in what actually works.

Resources and links

Angel City Pizza website:
https://www.angelcityla.com/

Angel City Pizza on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/acpizza/

Pizza Pro Circle:
https://www.skool.com/tyrells-group-9324/about

Thrive POS:
https://www.thrivepos.com/pizzaking

SPM Pro:
https://spm.circle.so/checkout/spm-pro-group?affiliate_code=9ea4d9

WookAI:
https://lddy.no/1oadh

PMQ articles:
https://www.pmq.com/category/contributors/tyrell-reed/

Support the show

Join our free community on Skool

https://www.skool.com/tyrells-group-9324/about

Free Tools and Courses for Pizzeria Owners & Managers

Email: info@tyrellreed.com

Upcoming events and appearances:

California Restaurant Show August 24-26

I turned down a 40-pizza order, and I want to tell you why.

On the surface, it sounded like easy business. Big order. Multiple pizzas. More revenue. But once I heard the full details, I knew it was not the right fit for our operation. This was not about being too busy or not wanting the sale. It was about protecting the flow of the shop, the team, and the kind of business we are trying to build.

In this Takeout Tip episode, I break down the decision, the thought process behind it, and the bigger lesson for pizzeria owners and operators. Not every dollar is worth chasing. Sometimes the best move you can make is saying no.

If you run a pizza shop and you are trying to grow without creating more chaos, this one is for you.

Support the show

Join our free community on Skool

https://www.skool.com/tyrells-group-9324/about

Free Tools and Courses for Pizzeria Owners & Managers

Email: info@tyrellreed.com

Upcoming events and appearances:

California Restaurant Show August 24-26