February 19, 2026 • 15 mins
Angela Cawley Rusin - Project and Marketing Manager at John's Pizzeria of Times Square
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi everyone, with Steve Dallison. Welcome to this week's edition
of CEOs. You should know. I'm thrilled to be joined
by Angela Cowley Russen, the project and marketing manager of
John's Pizzeri of Times Square. Angela, thanks for being here today.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thank you so much and honored to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm a huge fan of John's Pizzeria, so I'm so
excited to jump into this conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
We love having you absolutely so. I know you've been
working at John's Pizzerie of Times Square for nearly nineteen years, right, Yes,
started as a waitress, grew into a leadership role. What
were some of those moments along the way that were
really pivotal to shaping your career?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
So I started waiting tables there when I was in college,
so I absolutely loved it. I went to mom With
University down in South Jersey some people may say Central Jerseys,
and then yeah, I would take the train up every weekend.
I would wait tables there, and then when I graduated,
I got offered the position of event coordinator. So I
did that for about a year and I loved working
(00:51):
in the fast pieced environment.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It was absolutely fantastic. I still wait a table.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
So I was really able to actually like know what
guests we're looking for and then be able to like
relate that to what our guests want in parties, even
though like you know, we were having part these parties
for student groups, but actually working one on one with
them and being hands on down on the floor helped
me kind of change different programs and offers that we have.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
That's awesome. How did that experience, like working the floor
and in some of those early experiences you just mentioned
like translate into now your role of marketing.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So a lot of a lot of our guests are
tourists from you know, all over the country, all over
the world, So being down there and actually talking to
the guests one on one, I was able to actually
see what they were looking for, what they were used to,
and then just be able to see like, oh, do
you have this? This is kind of something like what
we would have back at home, say like garlic knots.
(01:44):
And then I realized that there were so many requests
for this, So then I was like, we're able to
make a product like that. So I was like, let's
do garlic roles. It's our best selling appetizer.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Since they're delicious as well.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
They're my favorite as well.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
But yeah, just basically hearing actually what the guests are
looking for and then being able to deliver in some
sort of New York way.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
So we always want to be true.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
To ourselves, but be able to sell the product people
are looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yes, speaking of the New York way, I know you're
born in New York City, raised in New Jersey. You
just mentioned college down the Jersey Shore, right, How is
that regional identity really helped shape your standards, your work ethic,
and your perspective of the overall pizza scene. Right, that's
what we're known for.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Oh, I'm a pizza snub because it is so hard,
but I will try pizza anywhere I go, so I'm
open minded of course. You know, if I'm gonna be
in the Midwest, I would try pizza. I haven't tried
Chicago Deep Dish yet, but I would go in with
an open mind. You know, you can't compare Apple Star Oranges. Yeah,
And that's what I always try and let people know too,
is that if you're gonna come to New York, our
pizza is going to be different than what you're expecting
(02:46):
in Chicago or in Italy, so you know, you.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Really can't compare the apple st oranges.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
But yeah, being born in New York and living in Jersey,
you just your use that fast paced life and that's
like a huge thing for us is that we try
to be a quick dinner before people are going to
the Broadway shows. So you know, we do seat four
hundred people and people may see like there's this crazy wheat,
but our average turntimes fifty five minutes, so you could
come in.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And still be out in an hour and a half.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
So it's just really great to like kind of know
that we're able to accommodate everybody before a Broadway show.
It's still that New York feel where you know it's
in and out. It's a little rush, but it's not
too rushed. You still feel welcome. Do you still feel
like family totally? And you're killing two birds with one stone.
You come to New York and you have a New
York pizza in a nineteenth century gospel tabernacle church.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, speaking of that, being in your role for the
largest pizzeri in the country, how do you balance preserving
just like you mentioned that historic identity of who John's
is while keeping the brand fresh and new.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So we're in such a historic, beautiful location, So that's beautiful.
It's absolutely beautiful, all the original stained class from the
nineteenth century. But what I also love to know is
that our guests are able to have the New York
pizzas they're looking for, not do the dollar slices. Because
everybody needs to have dinner. Everybody wants dinner and Broadway show,
why not do it at a mom and pop place.
(04:02):
We are a mom and pop place as opposed to
supporting you know, the chains where they can eat them
anywhere you can eat Olive Garden in Idaho, you know,
So why not have New York pizza, pizza and bagels
in New York.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
That's what I always tell everybody.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
So when you're coming to New York, that's what you
need to do, and you might as well do it
in a historic location.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
It's incredible and it's beautiful. For anyone that has not
been there, it really is. I know that you've brought
insights from some of your global travel right into the pizzeria.
Can you explain an example how some of those travels
might have inspired you on a cultural or hospitality way
to be really innovative at John's.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So I have a lot of my families in Ireland
in England, so I usually am in Europe once twice
a year.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Ireland always wants a year. Yes, it's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I absolutely love going, but I do notice where people are.
You know, you're seeing the locals, You're seeing how they dine.
You know, how there could be a slower pace of life,
like when you say, when you go to eat Italy,
it's a part of your evening, it's not a part
to refuel, so you're actually supposed to sit there and
enjoy the process and everything like that. So I did
(05:07):
realize that we do sometimes have to slow things down
for the guests that are actually making an evening of this,
people that aren't going to a Broadway show. But then
also when you're going to you know, other countries, even
other cities, you see people want to try the local beers.
So we started incorporating bringing in New York local beers.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Because people want to do that.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
But then we also started seeing I started seeing that
there was people that wanted to try just the.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Staples, you know, don't go too far fetched.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So you know, people if they want a Heineken if
we brought in beer and Moretti, because.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
It's a fantastic Italian lagger.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
But yeah, so I always try and see, like what
people are doing. I'm always aware of of my surroundings.
I love watching. I'm a people watcher for sure. I
could dine by myself, no problem, I would. I just
create all the scenarios in my brain of what everybody's doing.
But yeah, so it's just I love people watching. I
like seeing how everybody is treated in different restaurants and
(05:59):
all a run the world, how they experience their dinner
and what kind of what they're looking for as well.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
That's awesome. We talked about this a little bit earlier. Obviously,
being from New York it's fast pace, but being in
Times Square it's also very fast paced. Yes, how do
you maintain that fast paced environment while leading a team.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So with our fast paced environment, the fastest time of
the day is always pre theater, So whether it be
a matinee on Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday, or sometimes a
Sunday show or pre theater in the evening. That's when
we're a little bit more fast paced because we know
people aren't sitting there and wanting to hang out and
you know, they have places to go Broadway shows, ye, safely.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
But yeah, so I mean with kind of keeping up
with that. We do all pizza.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
We do make all pizzas to order, so you know,
we always let our guests know that it's going to
be about twenty minutes for a pizza from once it's
ordered to your table. But when the guests are there,
I mean, they can eat at their leisure or they
can eat as quickly as they want. So we always
try to make sure that people know that like this,
this is on your time.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Our our average you know, table time.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Is about fifty to fifty five minutes, but people do
stay for an hour and a half because they have
no place to go. And by all means, please do
we have a fantastic, fantastic cocktail list.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
We have, you know, deserts everything.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
We're full service restaurant, We're not just pizzaely, so we
have all the appetizers, Italian pastas.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Caesar salads, best caesar salad in New York.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
The dressing is absolutely fantastic. Cheese, yeah, absolutely fantastic. You
can never go wrong with that. And our house salad too.
We make our own Vinegart dressing a restaurants too, So
it's so good we're hoping to bottle that one day.
So that we have tried a whole bunch of different
different ways that people have tried to bottle it for us,
and it's just we want it to be where if
you were at John's, it's the same product as if you.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Were at home.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yep, we touched on this a little bit earlier, but
John's is really just a one of a kind setting,
right you have that nineteenth century church to the open
brick ovens. How do you strategically tell that story as
guests who may not be from New York arrive.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
So when I'm downstairs, I actually do love when I
see people that are looking up or trying to read
the back of the menu. We do have the history
on the back of the menu because a lot of
people do ask. But I love to give people the
history and just kind of show them how we're situated.
Because when you're walking in the front door, I do
have a timeline of all pictures of when before it
was a church, when it was under construction to become
(08:23):
a church, and then after when it was abandoned because
it was abandoned for years before we took it over,
and then we wanted to keep the original architecture, so
you can kind of see where how like you're when
you're sitting in the dining room, like how where like
the altar would have been, and everything else. So it's
absolutely beautiful to be able to see the timeline of
how it's changed in one hundred and forty years.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So fast forward, Yes, what is your vision for enhancing
guest experiences while maintaining that access and affordability for families
and groups.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
So we're always trying to make sure that when our
guests come to New York and they have John's Pizza,
that we are the stop that everybody wants to stop
and eat. So I know that there's always concerns about
dietary restrictions allergies, right, always trying to make sure that
we're creating some sort of Italian alternative for those guests.
So we brought in vegan cheese for our vegan guests.
A big question usually is if our dough has egg.
(09:17):
It does not, so we're able to offer a vegan
cheese pizza for our vegan guests. We make our own
gluten free pizza so we actually have our own product
that we make. It's not any of the ones that
come frozen and then we get frost. So we make
that product in house and it's so it's made with
the New York water, so it's still actually a fantastic product. Yes,
New York water is the secret. I don't care what
anybody says.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
That's awesome. So speaking of marketing, right, yeah, how do
you take the food, the tourism that's storytelling and bring
them all together for the story about John's when it
comes to market.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
So I always think of it as when I like
to travel, So I think some of the dinners that
I've had whenever traveling are some of my highlights from
my trip. So I may have seen some I absolutely beautiful,
that was historic, but I'm always going to remember that
fantastic posita dish I had in Italy, or the fish
and chips in England. I'm always going to remember those things.
So I hope that when people are coming to john
(10:11):
So like, oh, you have to have this fantastic pizza.
It's great pizza. It's actually in Times Square. I know
a lot of people are going to say, don't eat
in Times Square, but that's where you have to go.
It's a hidden gym because we're on forty fourth Street,
we're on a side street.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So it's really really great to know that.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Like, our guests are repeat guests and the word of
mouth is the biggest marketing that you could ever have.
So are families that are coming in and then they're
going back, and they're telling their friends, and then their
friends are coming.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Even if it's a few years later, we're still here. Absolutely, no,
it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That's awesome. On the flip side, what are some of
the biggest challenges while maintaining projects that's such an iconic restaurant.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
The biggest challenge I would say is a lot of
times people are looking for those unique pizzas or dishes
that might be popular right now TikTok trends, things like that.
But we have to know that our pizza is what
keep our door keeps our doors open. So we need
to just be true to ourselves and just know that
(11:07):
that is what that's what we are. You know as
many TikTok, Yeah, try the TikTok turns at home.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
They're fantastic. I do it all the time.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
But you don't have to We don't have to at
least do that in the restaurant because people are coming
and they want to try the basic New York pizza.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
They want to try that slice.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
You know, we do have some We have about thirty toppings,
so you could do all crazy different kinds of commodations.
You know, we brought in Buffalo Chicken as a pizza
top as a pizza option. But we always try and
stay true to ourselves, stay to the core, because that's.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Why, you know, we've been open twenty nine years now.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
In times where what advice would you give someone that's
tuning in that might just be starting off in hospitality
and they hope to grow to an executive leadership role
it yourself.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
So in hospitality, there's so many different avenues you could take,
which is fantastic, where you could be front of house,
where if you wanted to grow from being a waitress
or a bus boy or wherever you maybe to.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Being a manager to being a general manager.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
But then there's also the avenues of you could go
to backup house, or you could go to marketing. And
what's great with Times Square is that there's so many
different attractions.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
So that's one of my greatest things is that I.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Love to network with people, so I try and do
all the networking events with New York City Tourism, and
we created such amazing partnerships where you know, you come
to John's and you have unlimited pizza for an hour
and then entrance to Mantusot's or Rise in New York.
And it's wonderful to work with these companies too, because
they're global brands and it really helps advertise your product
(12:36):
where I'm just one shop, so you know, it helps
us get our name out there worldwide.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
But it's just amazing, like what you can do.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Just if a door opens, follow through, see where you
can go with it.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
That's awesome. So you've been there for nearly two decades.
What is next for John's of Times Square? Any exciting
innovations or expansions on the horizon you could tell us about.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
So we are selling our marin arosauce, so we do
sell that online, so it's jarred and we are shipping
it throughout the fort forty eight contigious states.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
So we are selling that online.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
We ship it out daily and we're pretty much hit
in all corners of the country too, which is fantastic.
I am working on trying to get our pizzas as
a personal size, but to get them into local attractions,
even hotels Grade two am option after coming home from
the bars. So yeah, I'm trying to kind of see
if we can get our pizzas to customers, but at
(13:31):
a cost effective way, because if you do ship pizzas,
it ends up being very costly. Because you do do
dry ice, it has to be overnight. So that's a
little bit further down the horizon. But right now, just
try and get it so that people can try our
food throughout the city.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
At least, that's awesome. Got to check out one of
those jars of.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Sauce, Yes, absolutely, I'll bring one over for you.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Perfect. We covered a lot, yes, But is there any
last things you want our listeners to know about the
mission of John's We may not have covered.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
So John's is We're supposed to be a fun dinner
that you enjoy with family or friends.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Pre theater, post theater.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
We're always there seven days a week, and we love
having everybody. We love being able to be the number
one pizza stop that they stop at when they're here
in New York. We know that most trips in New
York are only a few days, and you know, we're
honored that we're the place that they.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Choose to have pizza.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
So that is always our thing is We're grateful and
we're humbled that we're able to, you know, continuously serve
the best pizza.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
So all the guests, if someone is tuning in that
have not had a chance to stop by, what should
they do to find out more information?
Speaker 2 (14:32):
So we have a website.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
It's www dot John's Pizzeria NYC dot com and pizzeria
is p I z Z E R I A and
YC dot com.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
So all of our informations.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
There, Our menus are there, pictures, our history, anything that's changing,
any events that we may be hosting, all of our
products if anybody's interested in having marinarasauce. We also have
merch so everything is on there. We're consistently updating it.
I'm updating it once or twice a week, so all
the information willcur hours.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Everything is there.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Love that well, if you've not been, definitely check it out.
I promise you will not be disappointed. Thank you, Angela,
thank you so much for being here today. Loved hearing
the story about John's, but also about you and your journey.
Definitely extremely inspiring, so thank you for sharing.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I had
a great time.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Awesome, so do we, and thank you all for tuning in.
Tune in next week for next week's edition of CEOs.
You Should Know
Hi everyone, with Steve Dallison. Welcome to this week's edition
of CEOs. You should know. I'm thrilled to be joined
by Angela Cowley Russen, the project and marketing manager of
John's Pizzeri of Times Square. Angela, thanks for being here today.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thank you so much and honored to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm a huge fan of John's Pizzeria, so I'm so
excited to jump into this conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
We love having you absolutely so. I know you've been
working at John's Pizzerie of Times Square for nearly nineteen years, right, Yes,
started as a waitress, grew into a leadership role. What
were some of those moments along the way that were
really pivotal to shaping your career?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
So I started waiting tables there when I was in college,
so I absolutely loved it. I went to mom With
University down in South Jersey some people may say Central Jerseys,
and then yeah, I would take the train up every weekend.
I would wait tables there, and then when I graduated,
I got offered the position of event coordinator. So I
did that for about a year and I loved working
(00:51):
in the fast pieced environment.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It was absolutely fantastic. I still wait a table.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
So I was really able to actually like know what
guests we're looking for and then be able to like
relate that to what our guests want in parties, even
though like you know, we were having part these parties
for student groups, but actually working one on one with
them and being hands on down on the floor helped
me kind of change different programs and offers that we have.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
That's awesome. How did that experience, like working the floor
and in some of those early experiences you just mentioned
like translate into now your role of marketing.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So a lot of a lot of our guests are
tourists from you know, all over the country, all over
the world, So being down there and actually talking to
the guests one on one, I was able to actually
see what they were looking for, what they were used to,
and then just be able to see like, oh, do
you have this? This is kind of something like what
we would have back at home, say like garlic knots.
(01:44):
And then I realized that there were so many requests
for this, So then I was like, we're able to
make a product like that. So I was like, let's
do garlic roles. It's our best selling appetizer.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Since they're delicious as well.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
They're my favorite as well.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
But yeah, just basically hearing actually what the guests are
looking for and then being able to deliver in some
sort of New York way.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
So we always want to be true.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
To ourselves, but be able to sell the product people
are looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yes, speaking of the New York way, I know you're
born in New York City, raised in New Jersey. You
just mentioned college down the Jersey Shore, right, How is
that regional identity really helped shape your standards, your work ethic,
and your perspective of the overall pizza scene. Right, that's
what we're known for.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Oh, I'm a pizza snub because it is so hard,
but I will try pizza anywhere I go, so I'm
open minded of course. You know, if I'm gonna be
in the Midwest, I would try pizza. I haven't tried
Chicago Deep Dish yet, but I would go in with
an open mind. You know, you can't compare Apple Star Oranges. Yeah,
And that's what I always try and let people know too,
is that if you're gonna come to New York, our
pizza is going to be different than what you're expecting
(02:46):
in Chicago or in Italy, so you know, you.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Really can't compare the apple st oranges.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
But yeah, being born in New York and living in Jersey,
you just your use that fast paced life and that's
like a huge thing for us is that we try
to be a quick dinner before people are going to
the Broadway shows. So you know, we do seat four
hundred people and people may see like there's this crazy wheat,
but our average turntimes fifty five minutes, so you could
come in.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And still be out in an hour and a half.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
So it's just really great to like kind of know
that we're able to accommodate everybody before a Broadway show.
It's still that New York feel where you know it's
in and out. It's a little rush, but it's not
too rushed. You still feel welcome. Do you still feel
like family totally? And you're killing two birds with one stone.
You come to New York and you have a New
York pizza in a nineteenth century gospel tabernacle church.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, speaking of that, being in your role for the
largest pizzeri in the country, how do you balance preserving
just like you mentioned that historic identity of who John's
is while keeping the brand fresh and new.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So we're in such a historic, beautiful location, So that's beautiful.
It's absolutely beautiful, all the original stained class from the
nineteenth century. But what I also love to know is
that our guests are able to have the New York
pizzas they're looking for, not do the dollar slices. Because
everybody needs to have dinner. Everybody wants dinner and Broadway show,
why not do it at a mom and pop place.
(04:02):
We are a mom and pop place as opposed to
supporting you know, the chains where they can eat them
anywhere you can eat Olive Garden in Idaho, you know,
So why not have New York pizza, pizza and bagels
in New York.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
That's what I always tell everybody.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
So when you're coming to New York, that's what you
need to do, and you might as well do it
in a historic location.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
It's incredible and it's beautiful. For anyone that has not
been there, it really is. I know that you've brought
insights from some of your global travel right into the pizzeria.
Can you explain an example how some of those travels
might have inspired you on a cultural or hospitality way
to be really innovative at John's.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So I have a lot of my families in Ireland
in England, so I usually am in Europe once twice
a year.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Ireland always wants a year. Yes, it's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I absolutely love going, but I do notice where people are.
You know, you're seeing the locals, You're seeing how they dine.
You know, how there could be a slower pace of life,
like when you say, when you go to eat Italy,
it's a part of your evening, it's not a part
to refuel, so you're actually supposed to sit there and
enjoy the process and everything like that. So I did
(05:07):
realize that we do sometimes have to slow things down
for the guests that are actually making an evening of this,
people that aren't going to a Broadway show. But then
also when you're going to you know, other countries, even
other cities, you see people want to try the local beers.
So we started incorporating bringing in New York local beers.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Because people want to do that.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
But then we also started seeing I started seeing that
there was people that wanted to try just the.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Staples, you know, don't go too far fetched.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So you know, people if they want a Heineken if
we brought in beer and Moretti, because.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
It's a fantastic Italian lagger.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
But yeah, so I always try and see, like what
people are doing. I'm always aware of of my surroundings.
I love watching. I'm a people watcher for sure. I
could dine by myself, no problem, I would. I just
create all the scenarios in my brain of what everybody's doing.
But yeah, so it's just I love people watching. I
like seeing how everybody is treated in different restaurants and
(05:59):
all a run the world, how they experience their dinner
and what kind of what they're looking for as well.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
That's awesome. We talked about this a little bit earlier. Obviously,
being from New York it's fast pace, but being in
Times Square it's also very fast paced. Yes, how do
you maintain that fast paced environment while leading a team.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So with our fast paced environment, the fastest time of
the day is always pre theater, So whether it be
a matinee on Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday, or sometimes a
Sunday show or pre theater in the evening. That's when
we're a little bit more fast paced because we know
people aren't sitting there and wanting to hang out and
you know, they have places to go Broadway shows, ye, safely.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
But yeah, so I mean with kind of keeping up
with that. We do all pizza.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
We do make all pizzas to order, so you know,
we always let our guests know that it's going to
be about twenty minutes for a pizza from once it's
ordered to your table. But when the guests are there,
I mean, they can eat at their leisure or they
can eat as quickly as they want. So we always
try to make sure that people know that like this,
this is on your time.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Our our average you know, table time.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Is about fifty to fifty five minutes, but people do
stay for an hour and a half because they have
no place to go. And by all means, please do
we have a fantastic, fantastic cocktail list.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
We have, you know, deserts everything.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
We're full service restaurant, We're not just pizzaely, so we
have all the appetizers, Italian pastas.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Caesar salads, best caesar salad in New York.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
The dressing is absolutely fantastic. Cheese, yeah, absolutely fantastic. You
can never go wrong with that. And our house salad too.
We make our own Vinegart dressing a restaurants too, So
it's so good we're hoping to bottle that one day.
So that we have tried a whole bunch of different
different ways that people have tried to bottle it for us,
and it's just we want it to be where if
you were at John's, it's the same product as if you.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Were at home.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yep, we touched on this a little bit earlier, but
John's is really just a one of a kind setting,
right you have that nineteenth century church to the open
brick ovens. How do you strategically tell that story as
guests who may not be from New York arrive.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
So when I'm downstairs, I actually do love when I
see people that are looking up or trying to read
the back of the menu. We do have the history
on the back of the menu because a lot of
people do ask. But I love to give people the
history and just kind of show them how we're situated.
Because when you're walking in the front door, I do
have a timeline of all pictures of when before it
was a church, when it was under construction to become
(08:23):
a church, and then after when it was abandoned because
it was abandoned for years before we took it over,
and then we wanted to keep the original architecture, so
you can kind of see where how like you're when
you're sitting in the dining room, like how where like
the altar would have been, and everything else. So it's
absolutely beautiful to be able to see the timeline of
how it's changed in one hundred and forty years.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So fast forward, Yes, what is your vision for enhancing
guest experiences while maintaining that access and affordability for families
and groups.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
So we're always trying to make sure that when our
guests come to New York and they have John's Pizza,
that we are the stop that everybody wants to stop
and eat. So I know that there's always concerns about
dietary restrictions allergies, right, always trying to make sure that
we're creating some sort of Italian alternative for those guests.
So we brought in vegan cheese for our vegan guests.
A big question usually is if our dough has egg.
(09:17):
It does not, so we're able to offer a vegan
cheese pizza for our vegan guests. We make our own
gluten free pizza so we actually have our own product
that we make. It's not any of the ones that
come frozen and then we get frost. So we make
that product in house and it's so it's made with
the New York water, so it's still actually a fantastic product. Yes,
New York water is the secret. I don't care what
anybody says.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
That's awesome. So speaking of marketing, right, yeah, how do
you take the food, the tourism that's storytelling and bring
them all together for the story about John's when it
comes to market.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
So I always think of it as when I like
to travel, So I think some of the dinners that
I've had whenever traveling are some of my highlights from
my trip. So I may have seen some I absolutely beautiful,
that was historic, but I'm always going to remember that
fantastic posita dish I had in Italy, or the fish
and chips in England. I'm always going to remember those things.
So I hope that when people are coming to john
(10:11):
So like, oh, you have to have this fantastic pizza.
It's great pizza. It's actually in Times Square. I know
a lot of people are going to say, don't eat
in Times Square, but that's where you have to go.
It's a hidden gym because we're on forty fourth Street,
we're on a side street.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So it's really really great to know that.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Like, our guests are repeat guests and the word of
mouth is the biggest marketing that you could ever have.
So are families that are coming in and then they're
going back, and they're telling their friends, and then their
friends are coming.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Even if it's a few years later, we're still here. Absolutely, no,
it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That's awesome. On the flip side, what are some of
the biggest challenges while maintaining projects that's such an iconic restaurant.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
The biggest challenge I would say is a lot of
times people are looking for those unique pizzas or dishes
that might be popular right now TikTok trends, things like that.
But we have to know that our pizza is what
keep our door keeps our doors open. So we need
to just be true to ourselves and just know that
(11:07):
that is what that's what we are. You know as
many TikTok, Yeah, try the TikTok turns at home.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
They're fantastic. I do it all the time.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
But you don't have to We don't have to at
least do that in the restaurant because people are coming
and they want to try the basic New York pizza.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
They want to try that slice.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
You know, we do have some We have about thirty toppings,
so you could do all crazy different kinds of commodations.
You know, we brought in Buffalo Chicken as a pizza
top as a pizza option. But we always try and
stay true to ourselves, stay to the core, because that's.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Why, you know, we've been open twenty nine years now.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
In times where what advice would you give someone that's
tuning in that might just be starting off in hospitality
and they hope to grow to an executive leadership role
it yourself.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
So in hospitality, there's so many different avenues you could take,
which is fantastic, where you could be front of house,
where if you wanted to grow from being a waitress
or a bus boy or wherever you maybe to.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Being a manager to being a general manager.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
But then there's also the avenues of you could go
to backup house, or you could go to marketing. And
what's great with Times Square is that there's so many
different attractions.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
So that's one of my greatest things is that I.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Love to network with people, so I try and do
all the networking events with New York City Tourism, and
we created such amazing partnerships where you know, you come
to John's and you have unlimited pizza for an hour
and then entrance to Mantusot's or Rise in New York.
And it's wonderful to work with these companies too, because
they're global brands and it really helps advertise your product
(12:36):
where I'm just one shop, so you know, it helps
us get our name out there worldwide.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
But it's just amazing, like what you can do.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Just if a door opens, follow through, see where you
can go with it.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
That's awesome. So you've been there for nearly two decades.
What is next for John's of Times Square? Any exciting
innovations or expansions on the horizon you could tell us about.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
So we are selling our marin arosauce, so we do
sell that online, so it's jarred and we are shipping
it throughout the fort forty eight contigious states.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
So we are selling that online.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
We ship it out daily and we're pretty much hit
in all corners of the country too, which is fantastic.
I am working on trying to get our pizzas as
a personal size, but to get them into local attractions,
even hotels Grade two am option after coming home from
the bars. So yeah, I'm trying to kind of see
if we can get our pizzas to customers, but at
(13:31):
a cost effective way, because if you do ship pizzas,
it ends up being very costly. Because you do do
dry ice, it has to be overnight. So that's a
little bit further down the horizon. But right now, just
try and get it so that people can try our
food throughout the city.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
At least, that's awesome. Got to check out one of
those jars of.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Sauce, Yes, absolutely, I'll bring one over for you.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Perfect. We covered a lot, yes, But is there any
last things you want our listeners to know about the
mission of John's We may not have covered.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
So John's is We're supposed to be a fun dinner
that you enjoy with family or friends.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Pre theater, post theater.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
We're always there seven days a week, and we love
having everybody. We love being able to be the number
one pizza stop that they stop at when they're here
in New York. We know that most trips in New
York are only a few days, and you know, we're
honored that we're the place that they.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Choose to have pizza.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
So that is always our thing is We're grateful and
we're humbled that we're able to, you know, continuously serve
the best pizza.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
So all the guests, if someone is tuning in that
have not had a chance to stop by, what should
they do to find out more information?
Speaker 2 (14:32):
So we have a website.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
It's www dot John's Pizzeria NYC dot com and pizzeria
is p I z Z E R I A and
YC dot com.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
So all of our informations.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
There, Our menus are there, pictures, our history, anything that's changing,
any events that we may be hosting, all of our
products if anybody's interested in having marinarasauce. We also have
merch so everything is on there. We're consistently updating it.
I'm updating it once or twice a week, so all
the information willcur hours.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Everything is there.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Love that well, if you've not been, definitely check it out.
I promise you will not be disappointed. Thank you, Angela,
thank you so much for being here today. Loved hearing
the story about John's, but also about you and your journey.
Definitely extremely inspiring, so thank you for sharing.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I had
a great time.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Awesome, so do we, and thank you all for tuning in.
Tune in next week for next week's edition of CEOs.
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