Slice on Broadway
Five Locations: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pizza Style:
Our pizza is a simple New York Style Pizza. We use the tag line “New York Style, Yinzer Made Pie”. A Yinzer is a Pittsburgh local, meaning that we make the best New York style pie with a Pittsburgh influence! For our dough we use a high-gluten unbromated flour and our hydration is about 65 percent. This leaves us a nice, fluffy crust with a perfect crunch and chewy texture.
With five locations, what has been key to your growth?
Our key to growth is keeping focused on what we do best and keeping the model simple. We know our product and how to make it right and we always want to stay focused on it and continually improve. We also try to create a work environment where our team can succeed. Each crew member is an important part of the successes of each location.
Your branding is top-notch. What has gone into creating and maintaining it at every location?
Branding is super important to us. We try to keep it consistent across each location with logos, boxes and even down to paint and signage. We want our customers to go to any location and have the same experience. We also try to engage locally in each community that we serve and really make our customers part of our Slice family.
What are the key factors in location selection for your concept?
I like to know the area and feel comfortable before I choose a location. I take the inward-out approach, meaning that I select an area where we are close to other locations but far enough to not take our own customers. With this thought process, we have a base of customers that already are aware of our product and brand.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing in the business right now, and how are you addressing it?
Like many pizza shops, we are experiencing difficulties finding people to staff. We have many employees that have been with Slice on Broadway for over 10 years, but we are trying to find the new ones that want to join our team. We have begun to offer benefit packages, matching 401K and paid time off. Our staff is the most important asset to our success and we want them to feel at home in our shops.
