He Started a Pizza Shop With ZERO Experience… Now They Pump Out 500 Pizzas a Day
Slice
21,209 views
A former tech worker with zero pizza experience started making pies during COVID and turned it into a booming pizzeria. Today, The Violet Stone in St. Petersburg pumps out up to 500 pizzas a day with a team of 45 employees.
In this episode of Pizzeria Insider, we tour the shop, break down the kitchen workflow, talk real profit margins on pizza and cheesesteaks, and hear why the owner says he would never spend $400K on a buildout again.
The Violet Stone: https://www.thevioletstone.com/
📌 2607 MLK St. N, St. Pete, FL
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:21 Visiting The Violet Stone Pizzeria
01:02 Moving From Philadelphia to Florida
01:34 Starting as a Food Truck With No Pizza Experience
02:03 Learning Pizza During COVID
02:15 Building a Philly-Style Pizzeria Concept
02:31 Why Takeout Is 70% of Their Business
02:49 Producing 100 Pizzas Per Hour
03:05 Selling 500 Pizzas on Busy Days
03:34 Why Well-Done Pizza Sets Them Apart
04:04 Cooking vs Running a Restaurant Business
05:10 Why Profitability Matters for Employees
05:36 The Reality of Dining Rooms vs Takeout
06:05 The $400K Buildout and Regret
06:37 Working 100 Hours a Week in the Early Days
07:08 Growing to 45 Employees
07:44 Why Third-Party Orders Actually Help
08:27 Tour of the Restaurant
09:06 Opening a Second Location in Tampa
09:24 Dough Production and Equipment Choices
10:41 The Pizza Assembly Line System
11:37 Menu Breakdown and Production Capacity
12:22 Why Cheesesteaks Drive Lunch Sales
13:04 Pizza Profit Margins Explained
13:24 The Menu Items That Actually Make Money
14:10 Why You Must Track Numbers Weekly
14:26 The Hard Early Days of Barely Making Money
15:12 Making Fresh Cheesesteak Rolls
15:43 Cheesesteak Cooking Station
16:03 Pizza Taste Test
16:32 Cheesesteak Reveal
More From The Slice Community:
The Sauce: https://slice.com/community
Facebook: https://fb.com/slicepizzaapp
Owners Group: Facebook: pizzashopownersforum
Follow Bruce: Instagram: smartpizzamarketing
Slice believes that local pizzerias deserve all the advantages of big chains without compromising their independence. Slice puts technology, marketing, buying power, and support to work for these shops, empowering owners to build profitable businesses and remain at the heart of our communities. Learn more at slice.com.
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He Started a Pizza Shop With ZERO Experience… Now They Pump Out 500 Pizzas a Day
Slice
21,209 views
A former tech worker with zero pizza experience started making pies during COVID and turned it into a booming pizzeria. Today, The Violet Stone in St. Petersburg pumps out up to 500 pizzas a day with a team of 45 employees.
In this episode of Pizzeria Insider, we tour the shop, break down the kitchen workflow, talk real profit margins on pizza and cheesesteaks, and hear why the owner says he would never spend $400K on a buildout again.
The Violet Stone: https://www.thevioletstone.com/
📌 2607 MLK St. N, St. Pete, FL
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:21 Visiting The Violet Stone Pizzeria
01:02 Moving From Philadelphia to Florida
01:34 Starting as a Food Truck With No Pizza Experience
02:03 Learning Pizza During COVID
02:15 Building a Philly-Style Pizzeria Concept
02:31 Why Takeout Is 70% of Their Business
02:49 Producing 100 Pizzas Per Hour
03:05 Selling 500 Pizzas on Busy Days
03:34 Why Well-Done Pizza Sets Them Apart
04:04 Cooking vs Running a Restaurant Business
05:10 Why Profitability Matters for Employees
05:36 The Reality of Dining Rooms vs Takeout
06:05 The $400K Buildout and Regret
06:37 Working 100 Hours a Week in the Early Days
07:08 Growing to 45 Employees
07:44 Why Third-Party Orders Actually Help
08:27 Tour of the Restaurant
09:06 Opening a Second Location in Tampa
09:24 Dough Production and Equipment Choices
10:41 The Pizza Assembly Line System
11:37 Menu Breakdown and Production Capacity
12:22 Why Cheesesteaks Drive Lunch Sales
13:04 Pizza Profit Margins Explained
13:24 The Menu Items That Actually Make Money
14:10 Why You Must Track Numbers Weekly
14:26 The Hard Early Days of Barely Making Money
15:12 Making Fresh Cheesesteak Rolls
15:43 Cheesesteak Cooking Station
16:03 Pizza Taste Test
16:32 Cheesesteak Reveal
More From The Slice Community:
The Sauce: https://slice.com/community
Facebook: https://fb.com/slicepizzaapp
Owners Group: Facebook: pizzashopownersforum
Follow Bruce: Instagram: smartpizzamarketing
Slice believes that local pizzerias deserve all the advantages of big chains without compromising their independence. Slice puts technology, marketing, buying power, and support to work for these shops, empowering owners to build profitable businesses and remain at the heart of our communities. Learn more at slice.com.