Listen to Nick Bogacz before Pizza Expo on The Hot Slice Podcast
Pizza Expo starts soon. To get hyped up for the Las Vegas show, we’re chatting with Nick Bogacz, founder of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His deep-dive, four-hour workshop is part of the 2025 School of Pizzeria Management Workshops that will kick off Pizza Expo week on Sunday, long before the show floor opens Tuesday.
His session, “You Opened Your First Pizzeria! Now What???” gives insights into labor costs, food costs and guerilla marketing. We chat about the workshop and his two education sessions, “Managing Your Inventory” and “Purchasing an Existing Pizzeria”.
With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, he opened his first location in 2012 in Pittsburgh and has grown to four current locations. Caliente has won numerous awards in the industry, including 2016’s first place in the Pan Division of the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo. We talk competition and how he predicts his team will do.
Nick is bringing 14 Caliente team members to Pizza Expo. We chat about how his team will make the most of the show. He shares the Impact Primer that he has his team complete before they go. I’ve included it in the show notes.
Learn more about Caliente Pizza & Draft House at https://worldsbestpizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/caliente_pizza/
Safe travel to Las Vegas and we will see you at the show.
Show Notes:
Keep up with all things Pizza Expo News and Updates in the Pizza Expo News Hub at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-expo-2025-all-news-from-the-worlds-largest-pizza-show/
Don’t forget to check out the poster at the Pizza Today booth. Here’s a fun teaser of it:
View this post on Instagram
As promised, Nick was kind enough to allow us to share the Impact Primer that he has his team complete before the show. Try this with your team:
IMPACT PRIMER
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”—Alexander Graham Bell
EVENT: DATE:
| CHALLENGE
Three biggest problems/challenges I am currently faced with. |
|
| OPPORTUNITY
Three greatest growth areas I need new ideas and knowledge. |
|
| PEOPLE
Three most important people I need to find right now (partners, vendors, employees, etc.) |
|
| RESOURCES
Three most important resources I need right now. |
|
| IMPRESSION
How do I want to “show up” at this event? How do I want to be described by those I meet. |
|
| IMPACT
Three greatest contributions I can make to others at this event (ideas, connections, resources, etc.) |
|
WHO, WHAT, HOW & WHY—clearly and simply describing what I do: We help _____________ do ______________ through ______________ so that _______________.
SUGGESTIONS:
- You only get out of an event what you put into it—PLAY FULL OUT.
- Pursue being interested more than trying to be interesting.
Aim to give more than you gain… and you’ll gain more than you expect.
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