Emerging pizza chain looking to shake up the market

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company

Sammy Mandell opened Greenville Avenue Pizza Company in his hometown of Dallas in 2007, when he was just 24 years old. The small shop served slices and whole pies on a popular nightlife strip in Dallas, catering to late-night crowds and delivering to the neighborhood’s densely packed residents. Today, Mandell and his wife own three stores, having expanded into East Dallas in 2017 and opening in Richardson, a nearby suburb, in 2021. The latter is the company’s first full-service restaurant, with a dining room and bar.

Mandell said his growth plan has been slow by design, as he wanted to build the business without taking on more debt. Today, growth is in his sights, but like all restaurateurs, he’s navigating the pandemic-era labor shortage, so he’s being patient and waiting to strike. “We want to keep growing and to expand our reach, but there’s no magic number,” he said. “Our goal is to be that welcoming, local pizza restaurant in [Dallas-Fort Worth], even as we expand to more locations.”

GAPCo, as the restaurant is affectionately known, takes culture seriously. Its employees are paid well, and they buy into the brand’s “Pizza Slayer” persona, which sees employees making pizzas up front, wearing holsters that contain pizza slicers and dough knives. And regular menu specials commemorate holidays, from Cinco de Mayo to 4/20. Mandell wants the brand to maintain its fun, slightly irreverent identity, no matter how big it gets.

“I’m a small business, not a corporation,” said Mandell. “We need the culture to be right, and I don’t want to see that diminished by growing too quickly.”

Kevin Gray | Nation's Restaurant News | July 6, 2022

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