Q&A with Bill Zonios, Glenside Pizza, Glenside, Pennsylvania
Key Points:
- Preserving Tradition While Evolving: Glenside Pizza has thrived by staying true to its Greek-style pan pizza roots while introducing popular menu items like cheesesteaks and wings to appeal to evolving customer preferences.
- Community-Centered Milestone Celebration: To mark its 25th anniversary, Glenside Pizza is giving back to the community by donating 25 pizzas to local schools and hosting in-store promotions, emphasizing its deep connection to the Glenside, Pennsylvania community.
As pizza style trends shift around the country, Greek-style pizza has shifted to the background. Gain insights on how Glenside has preserved its Greek-style pizza for new generations and remained at the forefront in its community as the pizzeria celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Concept:
Glenside Pizza is a family-owned shop built on Greek-style pan pizza, something that’s getting harder to find these days. We’ve been here for 25 years, serving the same community my family has been part of for decades, just trying to do things the right way. Good food, consistency and treating people like they matter.
Pizza Style:
Our pizza is Greek-style pan pizza, which means it’s baked in a pan with a light, airy interior and a crispy bottom. The dough is where everything starts. We use an unbleached and unbromated flour because we believe every customer deserves the best ingredients with as little harsh chemicals as possible. We have a 24- to 48-hour cold fermentation process depending on demand, and then an ‘in pan’ proofing period which results in that crispy yet airy crust, which defines us.
How have you seen Greek-style pizza shift nationally?
This style of pizza used to be a lot more common, especially in the Northeast. Over time, a lot of shops either closed, sold off or shifted toward New York style because that’s what people recognize more. Now, there are several styles of pizza trending online and pizza shops all over the country are rushing to conform with the trends. While we do make evolving a priority, we’ll always stay with our roots, the style that got us here. Greek style is unique, and once people try a good one, it sticks with them.
How has Glenside been able thrive despite decline in demand for Greek-style pizza?
For us, it’s been about staying true to what we do while still evolving where it makes sense. We didn’t abandon our roots. We leaned into them. At the same time, we also sell things people love, like cheesesteaks, wings and newer menu items to keep things fresh. But more than anything, it’s the relationships. We’ve built real connections with our customers, local schools and the community, and that kind of loyalty carries you through any trend.
How is Glenside celebrating its 25th anniversary?
We’re really trying to give back to the community that’s supported us all these years. One of the big things we’re doing is giving away 25 pizzas to five local schools, which has been awesome to see people rally around. We’re also planning some in-store promotions, specials and just finding ways to celebrate with our customers because this milestone isn’t just ours, it belongs to the community too. We’re located in the beautiful Keswick Village in the heart of Glenside, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Glenside has been good to us over the last 25 years. So now, instead of just “celebrating,” we’re focusing on saying “thank you.”
What has been most effective in your family dynamic to help Glenside reach such longevity?
My parents built this from the ground up, and there’s a responsibility to carry that forward the right way. Now, we’ve taken the next steps in modernizing, evolving and striving to reach higher levels.
My wife, Jamie, a full-time schoolteacher, has been an integral part of the business behind the scenes, providing essential insights on marketing, food tasting and staff management. The business relies on her input so much. And our 15-year-old, Olivia, who just started working and provides us with the most important component: our reason.
