&pizza


&pizza is an American fast casual pizza restaurant chain, with 36 locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Massachusetts. The restaurant sells personal and customizable oblong-shaped pizzas. They tailor each location to its neighborhood, with local artists designing the interiors. Some locations serve beer, wine, and cocktails.

History

&pizza was founded by Michael Lastoria and Steve Salis, with the first shop opening in July 2012 on H Street in Northeast, Washington, D.C. Salis served as CEO from inception-2015. Currently, Lastoria serves as CEO and creative director. In 2016, the restaurant received a $25 million investment from AVALT, to expand into New York City, opening its first location there in June 2017. In July 2017, &pizza and the bakery Milk Bar announced a joint venture, to open in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In October 2017, &pizza announced funding from RSE Ventures.
The restaurant has advocated in Congress for a $15 minimum wage by 2023.

Reception

The Washington Post called the restaurant "the pizza shop for the 21st century", describing it as "Chipotle for pizza". It was named best pizza in the Washington City Paper Best of D.C. in 2017; was #12 on the Restaurant Business 2017 Future 50 list of fastest-growing small concept restaurants; and was on the Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies 2018 list.

Marketing

Since 2015, the restaurant has held an annual Pi Day tradition, where they hold weddings in their pizza shops, offering free pizza, cake, alcohol, officiants and photography. In 2018, &pizza hosted over a dozen weddings at locations in DC, Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia. For employees who want it, the restaurant pays for them to get a tattoo of its ampersand logo. The advocacy group Our Harvard Square has criticized &pizza for encouraging tattoos of its logo on employees and for referring to employees as "tribe members".