162. Growing from a Ghost Kitchen
Episode description
This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, our guest is Anthony Petralia. We last caught up with Anthony over a year ago to talk ghost kitchens for a Pizza Today Magazine article Going Ghost: A Look at Ghost Kitchen Operations and Setup (https://pizzatoday.com/topics/finance-growth/a-look-at-ghost-kitchen-operations-and-setup/ ). His dad Don reached out to us to share that Anthony has grown his ghost kitchen into a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Tralia, in Sarasota, Florida.
Getting there has taken persistence and strategic expansion. Anthony, like many executive chefs, was furloughed during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic birthed a new class of business owners, already battle tested.
As the ghost kitchen operation grew, Anthony looked for ways to expand into more. His current ghost kitchen location in Your Culinary Place, a shared commercial commissary kitchen (https://yourculinaryplace.com/ ), allowed him to gradually expand into a 20-seat restaurant in its facility. Anthony shares how the ghost op helped him transition into a full-service pizzeria.
With an extensive culinary background, Anthony likes the challenge of offering multiple styles. Find out his approach to doing an artisan pizza and a Detroit-style pizza without overwhelming the kitchen operations.
Now that Anthony has streamlined the business for dine-in and carryout, He’s focused on the pizzeria and even what’s next. Listen as Anthony shares his pizzeria story.
Show Notes:
Learn more about Tralia at https://www.traliasrq.com/
Follow Tralia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traliasrq/