Pizza Chicken Ice Cream, Eat Free Pizza, Kim’s Uncle Pizza

Chicago, Illinois

Concept:

E.F. Pizza started as a home kitchen experiment. We were giving away free pizzas every Friday night from our apartment in 2018. It was a way for us to R&D our product and to meet people in the industry. It’s what led us to our business partners who we would go on to open PFCIC with in April of 2020. 

Pizza Style:

We have a few different styles. We started out of our kitchen with an artisanal style dough. It’s sort of a cross between NY and Neapolitan style. Then we started making our Sicilian pan pizza when we opened PFCIC. Then, shortly after, we switched to a Chicago Tavern style thin crust pizza. 

You have been able to grow PFCIC into two location and add another pizza concept since opening. What has been key to the rapid growth?

 I think our concept is easily repeatable. There’s low overhead and we can make a small space work. It makes it a lot easier to pop up a new location with those factors in place. 

You started out with a different pizza style. What made you switch?

Covid was what made us pivot several times. We opened PFCIC with the Sicilian squares because it was single serving, which made sense for quarantining and social distancing. Then in the fall/winter we switched to something that was more delivery friendly, the tavern style. I think due to the circumstances, our customers were very understanding of the switch. Also, when you do both styles very well it helps! We still bring the Sicilian back in the summer and for pop-ups and events.

With two partners, how are you able to manage leadership roles?

All three of us have strengths and weaknesses. We each recognize what those are, respect it, and end up falling into the roles that best suit us. We are each so different that it honestly happened very naturally.

As you grow your concepts, what’s next?

I think we are interested in expanding with more locations. We want to spread our pizza to all of Chicago and the outer suburbs to start, but hopefully even further beyond that!