Carl Comeaux of Crust Pizza Co. on rebuilding the nostalgic dine in experience most pizza chains abandoned, and why half his business is people sitting down.
Carl Comeaux, CEO of Crust Pizza Co., on rebuilding the nostalgic dine in experience that most pizza chains walked away from.
He grew up on Friday nights at a pizza place with red cups and dim lighting. When those chains moved to takeout only, the ritual went with them. Crust was designed to bring it back.
In this conversation with Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski:
• Roughly half of the business is dine in, by design rather than by accident
• Dough balls at the table so kids have something to make
• Tavi, the mascot named after their tavern cut pizza, with a workbook and coloring pages
• A reading reward program, borrowed from the ones he remembers as a kid
• Kids eat free Tuesdays, half off wine Wednesdays, half off pints Thursdays
• A pizza that feeds a family of four for 15 to 20 dollars
None of these show up as line items worth defending. They are the reason a family picks one Friday night over another, and they are why the dining room is treated as infrastructure for connection rather than square footage.
Listen to the full episode: https://www.theblisspodcast.com/building-community-and-connection-in-business-with-carl-comeaux/
More from Carl Comeaux: https://www.theblisspodcast.com/guests/carl-comeaux/
More from the series: https://www.theblisspodcast.com/categories/bliss-businesses-series/