If Space Opens Up Next To A Brewery- Run Don’t Walk With Paul Of Pie Trap Pizza

What’s the secret to launching a successful pizzeria with minimal resources and a tiny space?

In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Paul, the self-taught pizza master behind Pie Trap Pizza, a thriving pizzeria born from a backyard hobby. Located next to a brewery, Paul shares his journey of perseverance, innovation, and the power of great ingredients—all packed into a 400-square-foot space that’s making a big impact.

Highlights:

Sweet Rent Deals and Minimal Overhead: How a favorable rent agreement helped them weather financial dips.

Keeping It Simple: Why they initially only offered pizza and sodas—and how simplicity gave them control.

Small Menu, Big Flavor: Adding Detroit-style pizza, knots, wings, and a signature Calabrian Caesar salad to the menu.

The Build-Out Journey: From bare studs to a fully equipped kitchen, including stories about plumbing, electrical, and tenant improvement pitfalls.

The Power Puzzle: Managing electrical loads with a Pizza Master oven in a small space, including tales of a temperamental technician and complex wiring setups.

Learning from Others: Insights gained from attending the Pizza Expo and meeting legends in the pizza world.

Perfect Pizza Baking Temperatures: The significance of temperature adjustments in the cooking process, including starting with a lower heat to achieve a crispier, longer-lasting crust.

Dough Perfection: The critical role of dough fermentation in achieving the ideal pizza texture, with a special focus on 4-5 day fermentation to achieve the perfect balance of crispiness and flavor.

Check out Pie Trap Pizza here:

https://www.thepietrap.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/pietrappizza/?hl=en 

https://www.facebook.com/pietrappizza/ 

Thank you to our show sponsors:

Corto Olive Oil:

https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1808352&u=2800064&m=112748&urllink=&afftrack=

Ooni Pizza:

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=77074&awinaffid=1800006&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ooni.com

Bacio Cheese:

https://www.baciocheese.com/?utm_source=Influencer&utm_medium=Podcast_Social_Web&utm_campaign=Whats_Good_Dough&utm_content=Bacio

DM @whatsgooddough

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email me: [e-mail] and Audio Provided by Tristan Marr and Alexia Refil

Topics:

Commissary model

Commissary kitchen

Multi-unit pizza empire

Commissary-driven restaurants

Restaurant operations efficiency

Streamlining restaurant processes

Consistency in restaurant operations

Commissary kitchen setup

Centralized food production

Batch cooking for restaurants

Multi-location pizza business

Commercial food storage capacity

Walk-in refrigeration space

Scaling pizza restaurants

Food production efficiency

Commercial kitchen equipment

Restaurant commissary logistics

Pasteurization