274. 2025 Pizzeria of the Year: Mattenga’s Pizzeria, San Antonio, TX

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From Engineering to Excellence: Inside Mattenga's Pizzeria's Rise to Pizza Today's 2025 Pizzeria of the Year

The latest episode of The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today featured an inspiring conversation with Matthew and Hengam Stanfield, the engineering-minded power couple behind Mattenga's Pizzeria. Fresh off their monumental achievement of being named Pizza Today's 2025 Pizzeria of the Year, the Stanfields shared the strategic insights and systematic approaches that transformed their struggling single pizzeria into San Antonio's fastest-growing pizza business.

A Remarkable Month of Recognition

The timing couldn't have been more perfect for the Stanfields. In the same week they received the prestigious Pizzeria of the Year honor, Mattenga's also secured their third consecutive "Best of San Antonio" award – a testament to their consistent excellence and community impact. "It was in the exact same week," Hengam noted during the podcast. "Pretty awesome." This dual recognition represents more than just accolades; it demonstrates how the couple has successfully balanced operational excellence with deep community engagement throughout San Antonio.

The Power of Customer-Centric Marketing

One of the most striking aspects of Mattenga's success lies in how they leverage recognition and media coverage. Rather than making achievements about themselves, the Stanfields consistently redirect the spotlight to their customers and community. "We never want to make it about us," Hengam explained. "It takes a village with the team, but also we are here because we have a lot of great customers that continue to support us. So it's always making it about gratitude to our customers." This approach has contributed to their impressive 15-20% steady sales growth this year, with multiple high-profile moments including a Dave Portnoy visit creating sustained momentum rather than temporary spikes.

Engineering Excellence in Restaurant Operations

The Stanfields' engineering backgrounds shine through in their systematic approach to restaurant management. Their comprehensive meeting structure includes three distinct sessions:

• Texas Hospitality meetings focusing on reviews and above-and-beyond service stories
• Engineered meetings diving deep into 20+ key performance metrics
• Invest meetings centered on leadership development and team growth

"As restaurant owners, you have many problems, then you can think about the source of your problem," Hengam shared. "Whatever problem we have is a system problem... instead of pointing to people, a lot of times, I think in our industry, we look at people are the problem."

Innovative Commissary Operations

The podcast revealed fascinating insights into Mattenga's commissary implementation across all seven locations. By centralizing prep work and investing in specialized equipment like the "cheese hog" that shreds 48 pounds of cheese in seconds, they've achieved remarkable efficiency gains. Matthew noted they successfully reduced their labor target from 23% to 19% while improving consistency and freeing up front-line staff to focus on hospitality rather than prep work.

Vision for Explosive Growth

Looking toward the future, the Stanfields aren't thinking small. With plans to potentially reach 21 locations within three years – maintaining their current growth trajectory – they're actively preparing systems and leadership development for a 400-employee operation. "What has gotten us here will not get us there," Hengam reflected, emphasizing their commitment to continuous evolution and improvement. The couple also teased exciting developments they couldn't yet share on the podcast, hinting at franchise opportunities and other strategic initiatives