From One Oven to a Movement: The Billy Bricks Story

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In this episode of The Bottom Line, host Naki Soyturk sits down with Ric Gruber Jr., the attorney-turned-entrepreneur who brought Neapolitan-style pizza to Chicagoland 20 years ago—and never looked back. Ric shares how he and his family bootstrapped Billy   one unique wood-fired oven into a powerful regional brand with seven stores, seven food trucks, and a growing catering operation. Along the way, they added Moo Joe’s, a mobile ice cream parlor that’s redefining dessert experiences.

Ric dives deep into the early challenges of introducing a new pizza style to a deep-dish city, and how commitment to quality and storytelling helped Billy Bricks stand out. He also explains why his team invests in artisan-level training, technology like MarginEdge, and organic SEO over paid marketing. The episode is a masterclass in balancing growth with authenticity.

It’s also a story about building IP, intellectual property and trademarks for the brands that he builds.

This conversation covers everything from branding and operations to failure, resilience, and what it really takes to run a profitable, scalable, and soulful business. Whether you’re running one restaurant or looking to grow your concept into a fleet, Ric’s wisdom will give you tools, tactics, and serious inspiration.

Awards, Accolades & Recognition
 Named among PMQ’s “20 Pizza Brands to Watch” (2025)
 “Loved on Yelp” Award in 2015 for Oak Park catering
 Celebrated 20-year anniversary in 2025—one of the earliest adopters of wood-
fired brick ovens in Chicagoland (only ~5 in 2005)
 Featured widely in local media for elevating Chicago pizza culture

Billy Bricks stands out in the fastcasual space by combining:
 Authentic wood-fired craft with premium ingredients
 A premier casual experience in neighborhood pizzerias
 Mobile-first innovation via pizza and ice-cream trucks
 Strategic brand extension through Moose Joe’s
 Techenabled operations and careful scaling Locations & Footprint
 7 brickandmortar pizzerias in Chicagoland: including Lombard, Wheaton,
Naperville, St. Charles, Downers Grove, Oak Park, and LaGrange
 7 woodfired pizza food trucks servicing events across the suburbs
 Catered events & weddings nationwide via roaming trucks

Guest Links
• Website: https://www.billybrickwoodfiredpizza.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billybrickspizza/

Welcome to The Bottom Line – the real talk podcast about restaurant profit and growth. Each episode, we explore the decisions, systems, and stories behind the most successful food businesses out there in the market. No fluff. No hype. Just real operators, real challenges, and real advice from people who know how to get results. Let's get to The Bottom Line.

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