21: From Pop-ups to Pizza Trendsetter | Marc Schechter, Square Pie Guys

“Lean into your network, don’t be afraid to grow it, and don’t be afraid to ask people for help and reach out to people who have done it before. You never know what you’ll get back, you just have to ask.”

—

Marc Schechter is the Co-Founder of Square Pie Guys, a Detroit style fast casual pizza chain based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

With three locations between San Francisco and Oakland, Marc has grown Square Pie Guys into a trendsetting brand inspiring square pizza concepts nationwide. 

I sit down with Marc in person to discuss:

- His early love for pizza

- How standup comedy gave him the skills to market & promote events

- Where the idea for focusing on Detroit style pizza came from

- How Marc raised money, and lessons learned from their first two buildouts

- The story behind negotiating their exclusive rev share deal with Caviar

- SPG’s approach to marketing, promotions, and celebrity collabs

and much more, including stories about celebrities Jim Gaffigan and Jeremy Lin.

Please enjoy my conversation with Marc Schechter of Square Pie Guys!

––

Where to find Square Pie Guys:

• Website: https://squarepieguys.com/
• IG: @squarepieguys
• FB: @SPGPizzaSF
• Twitter: @SquarePieGuys
• YouTube: @squarepieguys9514

––

Where to find Marc:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcschechter/
• IG: @pizzaman420

––

Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin 

––

Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

––

Referenced:

• My Pizza, Jim Lahey
• @pizzaman420
• The Culinary Edge
• PizzaHacker
• Delfina
• Cut+Dry
• Reciprofity

In this episode, we cover:

• (00:00) Marc’s early obsession with pizza
• (04:00) Early inspiration for SPG
• (13:38) Marc’s first pizza pop-up
• (15:45) Working at PizzaHacker and Delfina to gain real restaurant experience
• (21:10) Where the idea for specializing in Detroit Style pizza came from
• (26:40) Stumbling into making square pies for the first time 
• (28:00) When Marc met his co-founder Danny
• (30:00) The story behind the name Square Pie Guys
• (37:00) How they raised money
• (40:00) First buildout and lessons learned
• (51:50) How Marc negotiated an exclusive rev share deal with Caviar
• (53:50) Opening store #2
• (01:02:00) Marc on marketing, promotions, and collabs
• (01:07:00) Jeremy Lin story
• (01:14:00) On The Fly Segment
• (01:23:00) Marc’s advice for restaurant software companies