What's Good Dough?

Charlie Anderson of Good Pizza

What happens when an engineer quits his job, goes all-in on pizza, and builds a slice shop obsessed with consistency?In this episode of What’s Good Dough, Eidref is with Charlie Anderson, founder of Good Pizza Cleveland, to talk about the real work behind opening a modern slice shop. From menu minimalism and workflow design to dough fermentation, content creation, and long-term vision, this is a deep dive into what it actually takes to make great pizza— consistently.Highlights:2:05 – Building a New York-style slice shop in Cleveland4:15 – Modern pizzeria branding & restaurant interior design strategy6:00 – Why a 6-item pizza menu improves consistency and profitability8:30 – Weighing pizza toppings for cost control & operational consistency10:50 – Commercial pizza oven management: stone temp, bake time & workflow13:40 – The realities of running a high-volume slice shop15:30 – Quitting engineering to open a pizzeria full-time18:10 – From pizza pop-ups to brick-and-mortar restaurant ownership21:00 – Imposter syndrome as a pizza entrepreneur & content creator24:10 – Reverse-engineering New York pizza & building a pizza YouTube channel27:00 – Using Instagram & organic social media to grow a local restaurant30:00 – Poolish vs straight dough: 73% hydration pizza dough formula33:20 – Controlling dough temperature for consistent fermentation36:10 – Two-stage dough balling technique for stronger pizza crust40:00 – Why long fermentation doesn’t always mean better pizza43:00 – How to identify over-proofed pizza dough in a restaurant setting46:20 – Slice shop bottlenecks: staffing, speed & labor efficiency50:00 – Increasing restaurant revenue through operational efficiencyFollow them:⁠https://goodpizzacleveland.com/⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/goodpizzacleveland/?hl=en⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@goodpizzacleveland?lang=en⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GoodPizzaCleveland⁠Thank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:⁠https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up⁠Corto:⁠https://bit.ly/457DNII⁠Join my Instagram Community Channel: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/⁠Patreon Page: ⁠patreon.com/whatsgooddough⁠DM ⁠@whatsgooddough⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/⁠email me: ⁠claire@whatsgooddough.com⁠Topic:pizza podcast, what’s good dough podcast, good pizza cleveland, charlie anderson pizza, pizza business podcast, opening a pizzeria, slice shop business, modern pizzeria design, pizza dough fermentation, poolish pizza dough, high hydration pizza dough, new york style pizza, pizza consistency systems, restaurant workflow efficiency, small menu pizzeria, pizza by the slice, pizza oven management, pizza SOPs, scaling a restaurant, pizza content creation, restaurant social media strategy, pizza consulting, pizza entrepreneur story, food business podcast, behind the scenes pizzeria, pizza making process, dough fermentation tips, pizza equipment workflow, independent pizzeria, pizza industry insights

Why This Cleveland Pizza Shop Only Sells 6 Items

Most pizzerias have a huge menu, but this man, Charlie Anderson, only sells six pizzas. And this strategy is helping him in his quest to be the best pizzeria in the world. Highlights:0:00 – Why a Tight Menu Keeps Slices Fresh0:40 – Pros & Cons of Offering Fewer Pizzas1:20 – Meet Charlie Anderson of Good Pizza Cleveland2:00 – From First Pizza to Opening a Pizzeria2:45 – Designing a Modern Slice Shop Experience3:30 – Building a New York–Style Slice Shop in Cleveland4:10 – Why Good Pizza Only Offers Six Pizzas4:50 – Dialing in the Core Menu5:30 – Making the Pepperoni Pie6:00 – Four-Cheese Blend Breakdown6:30 – Shredding Cheese In-House6:50 – Solving the Sauce Consistency Problem7:20 – Sauce Application Without a Ladle7:50 – Perfect Slice Bake & Reheat StrategyFollow them:https://goodpizzacleveland.com/https://www.instagram.com/goodpizzacleveland/?hl=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@goodpizzacleveland?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/@GoodPizzaClevelandThank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up Cheesehog- let them know What's Good Dough Sent Youinfo@cheesehogmachine.comJoin my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/ Patreon Page: [patreon.com/whatsgooddough](http://patreon.com/whatsgooddough)DM [@whatsgooddough](https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/#)https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: [claire@whatsgooddough.com](mailto:claire@whatsgooddough.com)Topic:pizza podcast, what’s good dough podcast, good pizza cleveland, charlie anderson pizza, pizza business podcast, opening a pizzeria, slice shop business, modern pizzeria design, pizza dough fermentation, poolish pizza dough, high hydration pizza dough, new york style pizza, pizza consistency systems, restaurant workflow efficiency, small menu pizzeria, pizza by the slice, pizza oven management, pizza SOPs, scaling a restaurant, pizza content creation, restaurant social media strategy, pizza consulting, pizza entrepreneur story, food business podcast, behind the scenes pizzeria, pizza making process, dough fermentation tips, pizza equipment workflow, independent pizzeria, pizza industry insights

How A 1000 Sq Ft Slice Shop Does 2 Million A Year

What happens when you open a slice shop during a pandemic, with no dining room and no walk-in traffic?In this episode, we sit down with Lars Smith, Chef and Co-Owner of State of Mind Slice House and the mind behind State of Mind Slice House in Palo Alto. Lars shares how lessons from past failures, smart pricing, and intentional design helped him build a high-performing slice shop during and after the pandemic.Highlights:0:52 – Opening during the pandemic1:39 – Why smaller restaurants are winning right now2:14 – Location strategy without foot traffic3:27 – Designing the slice case4:27 – Freshness standards and waste control4:56 – Pricing slices and accounting for waste5:51 – Customer-first mindset vs cost-saving mindset6:21 – Weekly sales and waste benchmarks6:53 – Scaling recipes from restaurant to slice shop7:46 – Advice for aspiring slice shop owners8:34 – Designing customer flow for high-volume service9:19 – Final thoughts and takeawaysFollow:https://www.instagram.com/lboogiesmith/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/stateofmindslicehouse/https://www.facebook.com/stateofmindslicehouse/https://www.stateofmindslicehouse.com/Thank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upCorto:https://bit.ly/457DNIIJoin my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/Patreon Page: patreon.com/whatsgooddoughDM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.comTopic:pizza slice shop, slice house business, pizza shop success, small pizza shop, $2M pizza shop, high volume pizza shop, restaurant business model, pizza shop operations, slice shop pricing, pizza waste management, restaurant profit margins, pizza shop startup, opening a slice shop, pizza shop design, restaurant flow design, grab and go restaurant, pandemic restaurant success, pizza entrepreneur, restaurant owner interview, pizza podcast, food business podcast, how to open a pizza shop, pizza shop location strategy, slice case design, pizza industry insights, restaurant operations strategy, pizza business tips, independent pizza shop, state of mind slice house, lars smith pizza

They Told Him This Location Would Fail. Now He Sells 275 Pizzas in 4 Hours.

What if everyone told you your pizzeria would fail because of its location — and you proved them wrong by selling 275 pizzas in just four hours?In this episode of What’s Good Dough, we sit down inside Fired Pizza in Stockton, CA — a pizzeria that broke nearly every “rule” people swear by in the restaurant industry.From being told their location would never work, to transitioning from a mobile pizza trailer to a full brick-and-mortar restaurant, this conversation goes deep on resilience, smart compromises, and building a business that customers choose to go out of their way for.We talk pizza philosophy, Neapolitan vs expectations, pricing challenges, build-out realities, and what it actually takes to survive (and thrive) in today’s pizza landscape.Highlights:0:00 – Why this pizzeria “should’ve failed”1:00 – Selling 200–275 pizzas in a single night1:55 – From food truck muscle memory to restaurant survival2:20 – Keeping the menu simple on purpose3:25 – Oven temps, bake times, and “send it straight to hell”3:55 – Educating customers on Neapolitan pizza4:50 – Ranch on pizza (yes, proudly)5:30 – Less cheese, more balance6:30 – Why pizza was always the end goal7:10 – Betting half their savings on a mobile pizza trailer8:10 – The worst first catering event imaginable9:00 – Why beer and wine drive ~30% of revenue10:00 – Pricing reality: $18 pizzas and customer pushback13:25 – Building out the restaurant themselves14:30 – A full year to open the doors15:05 – “What’s Good Dough?”Follow Fired Pizza:https://www.instagram.com/fired_pizza/?hl=enThank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upCorto:https://bit.ly/457DNIIJoin my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/Patreon Page: patreon.com/whatsgooddoughDM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.comTopic:pizza podcast, pizzeria success story, opening a pizzeria, restaurant startup story, pizza business, Neapolitan pizza, wood fired pizza, pizza shop owner interview, food truck to restaurant, small business success, restaurant location myth, pizza entrepreneur, pizza industry, artisan pizza, independent pizzeria, California pizza, Stockton pizza, fired pizza, pizza oven cooking, pizza margins, restaurant pricing, pizza menu strategy, pizza education, craft beer and pizza, restaurant build out, DIY restaurant build, pizza trailer business, mobile pizza business, how to start a pizzeria, pizza business mistakes, pizza passion, pizza culture, food entrepreneurship

Meet The Secret Cheese Blend Winning All The Pizza Competitions

What if the reason this pizza won wasn’t a secret ingredient… but a decision most people wouldn’t make?Slice on Broadway just took home Best Cheese Slice at the 2025 Las Vegas Pizza Expo and was named Best Pizzeria in the State—and today, we’re sitting down with owner-operator Rico Lunardi to find out why. From dough hydration and cheese blends to Pittsburgh pizza culture and consistency under pressure, this episode goes deep into what it actually takes to make great pizza… and keep it great.0:26 – Why Slice on Broadway stands out (and the “secret cheese blend”)1:41 – Dough hydration, consistency, and why small changes matter big2:56 – The accidental sugar-in-the-dough story 🍩4:11 – Flour choices, competitions, and learning from Italy5:11 – The Pittsburgh 50/50 provolone–mozzarella cheese blend explained6:01 – Sauce philosophy: tomatoes, freshness, and staying consistent7:06 – Winning awards, pizza loyalty, and why pizza gets so personal8:21 – Pittsburgh pizza cuts: slices vs “cuts”9:21 – Staying authentic in competitions (and regretting one change)10:41 – Cheese texture, shredding in-house, and operational realities12:11 – What “good dough” really means: patience, time, and careThank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upCorto:https://bit.ly/457DNIIOoni:https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=77074&awinaffid=1800006Join my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.comTopic:award-winning pizza, best cheese slice, Las Vegas Pizza Expo 2025, Slice on Broadway, Pittsburgh pizza, pizza podcast, What’s Good Dough podcast, pizza dough technique, pizza making process, New York style pizza, provolone mozzarella blend, pizza cheese blend, pizza dough hydration, professional pizza making, pizzeria owner interview, pizza industry podcast, artisan pizza, how award-winning pizza is made, secret behind great pizza dough, Pittsburgh style pizza cheese, pizza expo competition tips, staying consistent in pizza making, pizza dough fermentation process, what makes good pizza dough, Rico Lunardi, Slice on Broadway Pittsburgh, pizza podcast interviews, pizza behind the scenes, pizza shop story, pizza culture USA, pizza craftsmanship, small business food podcastHighlights