People’s Pie, Richmond, Virginia
We had the pleasure to speak with Chef Craig Perkinson of People’s Pie on IG Live to hear about his experience opening up a new pizza and slice shop in these unconventional times. Thank you, Craig, for sharing your ideas with us!
Here are a few of Craig’s tips:
- Share your journey from R&D through opening on social media to help build a following.
Craig has been experimenting with his dough for over a year, and he has kept followers in the loop through the entire process.
- Spread the word about your new business and support the community by starting out gradually with pop-up fundraisers.
Pop-up fundraisers allowed Craig to give back to the restaurant community by raising money for emergency grants to food service workers, plus they offered an opportunity to serve pizza before he was ready to open.
- Allow local farms and purveyors to use your restaurant as a pick up point for retail sales in exchange for product you can experiment with.
People’s Pie offers pasture-raised pork, CSA boxes and raw milk from local farms.
- Use the slow start to work out systems and processes so they’re dialed in when you’re able to bring on more staff.
Craig doesn’t want to bring on a full staff until the situation stabilizes, so he is using this time as a small operation to work out any kinks.
Watch the full interview for even more inspiration and actionable ideas.
Connect With Us @corto_olive for even more industry tips and stay tuned for another installment of our #TogetherWithChefs series!