How a Second-Generation Pizza Owner Doubled Revenue

Living Your Legacy

Giuseppe Pulizzi, second-generation owner of Lorenzo & Sons Pizza in Philadelphia, shares how he transformed a family legacy business by doubling revenue within

Key takeaways

• Education and professional training outside of the family business provided critical skills for reinventing legacy operations.
• A product can become its own marketing engine—large, distinctive pizza slices serve as a walking billboard that builds brand recognition.

Main topics

• Generational business transition
• Legacy preservation vs. innovation

Notable quotes

We have a 28-inch pizza. And we cut it into eight, and it's a massive slice. So pretty much when people see this slice of pizza, automatically they already know where it's coming from. So it's like a walking billboard.

Conclusion

Giuseppe Pulizzi demonstrates that legacy businesses can thrive through

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) We're known in Philadelphia for the biggest pizza. We have a 28-inch pizza. And we cut it into eight, and it's a massive slice. So pretty much when people see this slice of pizza, automatically they already know where it's coming from. So it's like a walking billboard. Speaker 1 (0:13) Giuseppe Pulizzi is a dedicated entrepreneur, family business leader, and the owner of Lorenzo & Sons Pizza. Drawing from his father's wisdom and his own education, he has grown the family business while honoring the legacy that shaped him and creating one of his own. Speaker 2 (0:25) My father started back in 1970, and then I started tweaking it, and I wound up doubling his revenue within like... eight months of being there. And that's where I believe my education came in to grant me that success to do that and flip what he did. And it was just, it worked. What's the key to running a successful restaurant? You never have a day off. Your phone is always on. There's something that's going to happen. You got to pick up that phone. And then if you teach the team the proper way, they don't need to call you. They're able to manage and handle things without you being there. Speaker 4 (1:01) like a super high school internet Elvis today Speaker 1 (1:05) Apple Speaker 4 (1:07) is going to reinvent the phone it's not over until I win the Speaker 1 (1:12) living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy Speaker 3 (1:33) Hey, welcome back everyone to another episode of Living Your Legacy podcast, where we have the privilege to talk to some of the best entrepreneurs around the country. And today we've got a special guest. I like the shirt he's wearing. It's talking about pizza. We're going to dive deep into it, but yeah, introduce yourself. What's your name? Where are you from? And what's Speaker 2 (1:52) your Speaker 3 (1:52) business? Okay. Speaker 2 (1:53) So I'm Giuseppe Polizzi. I'm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and we have the place called Lorenzo and Sons Pizza in Philadelphia. All Speaker 3 (2:00) right, cool. So is it just pizzas or come out of Philly, you guys do cheesesteaks? So we're Speaker 2 (2:05) known in Philadelphia for the biggest pizza. We have a 28 inch pizza. So and we cut into eight and it's a massive slice. So pretty much when people see the slice of pizza automatically, they already know where it's coming from. So it's like a like a walking billboard. Yeah, yeah, Speaker 3 (2:19) yeah. So Giuseppe. Giuseppe. Giuseppe. So Giuseppe. Speaker 3 (2:27) Where does your dough come from? I know pizza is all about the dough, right? So are you importing it from Italy you making it yourself Speaker 2 (2:32) everything everything's homemade But actually for me the best ingredient is the sauce is Speaker 3 (2:37) the sauce. I Speaker 2 (2:38) anyone can make a dough I believe you can go buy it frozen in the supermarkets here nowadays, but it's all she buy But we actually make everything in-house So the sauce is made in-house that dough is made in-house and I had my own line of mozzarella cheese All Speaker 1 (2:50) right. So Speaker 2 (2:51) which means other places can't purchase the same cheese because my name, my name, my logo, everything's on it. So it's pretty much my brand. Speaker 3 (2:57) Nice, nice, nice. So what's the secret to a good sauce? That's Speaker 2 (3:01) why it's a secret. Speaker 3 (3:02) OK, OK, OK. Keep it Speaker 2 (3:05) fresh. Keep it fresh. Fresh ingredients, right? The Italians are always Speaker 3 (3:08) like, keep it simple. Speaker 2 (3:10) Yes, keep it simple. Don't overpower it. A lot of people think you need to put all the spices. I love the taste of the natural tomatoes. So especially of my other location we have in Westchester, we do a gourmet sauce. So the tomatoes are from Italy. They come over here and then we break it down and I actually make it and then I add no water whatsoever to my sauce. because I want you to taste the actual flavor of the tomatoes. Speaker 3 (3:32) Who's going to water it down? Come on, who would know what's a watered down sauce? To Speaker 2 (3:36) make more money, they want to water it down. So you can't tell, but I can tell. Oh, Speaker 3 (3:40) so people often, they come to America and they're like, oh, what's American food like? And I often say it's kind of like. Corporate food is American food. Process. They water it down. They process it. They flip it, and they try to just make the most amount of money from it. And then the ingredients suffer. You got stuff in there that they don't sell in Europe, right? But they allow it here. Absolutely. And it makes you question, what is going in our bodies, right? You got to keep it fresh. You got to keep it simple. You can't water it down. Right. And that's where it's I'm already wanting some pizza. So, yeah. How's how's it? How do you get into a pizza restaurant? Why? Speaker 2 (4:22) So I was born into it. My father started back 1970. OK, so over the years, I see generational business pretty much. Yeah. So I'm Speaker 3 (4:32) the Speaker 2 (4:32) second generation. OK, great. That took over. But like I said. We started with the pizza business. I already had it in my blood and I just wanted to do something different for a little bit. So I challenged myself to steer away from the family business. And then I wind up going back into the business and taking over. Speaker 3 (4:48) Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's funny that maybe when you're younger, you're like, Dad, I'm going to do my own thing. Speaker 2 (4:54) Exactly. It came out of my mouth. Speaker 3 (4:55) Yeah, yeah. Generational businesses are tough. From one generation to the next, usually they don't make it. The third