What's Good Dough?

What's Good Dough
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I quit my job for pizza. Should you? My name is Eidref Laxa and I am a Mobile Caterer, Ooni Ambassador, and Pan Pizza Champion. Pizza changed my life. I'm guessing that if you're here, it's already changed yours. I started this podcast to learn about pizza and starting a pizzeria. I’m not ready to open a brick and mortar just yet, but I’m still obsessed with learning from pizza operators. Because one day, I just might. I'm just busy doing other things first.

  1. 2d ago

    Inside A.K. Pizza, The Most Exclusive Pizza in Seattle

    Why are 12,000 people waiting for a pizza they can barely get their hands on?A.K. Pizza has become one of Seattle’s most talked-about pizzerias, with thousands of people waiting for the next pizza drop. Eidref visits Alex to see what makes these pies worth the hype, from the dough and carefully chosen ingredients to the small-team operation behind every pizza. Alex shares why he’s focused on quality over quantity—and why growing bigger isn’t necessarily the goal.Highlights:0:52 – Why Everyone Is Waiting for A.K. Pizza1:10 – From Local Buzz to National Recognition2:23 – A Small Menu With Seasonal Specials3:12 – Thousands of People Waiting to Order3:29 – Is Ordering A.K. Pizza Like Ticketmaster?3:39 – Are Bots Buying All the Pizzas?3:46 – What Makes A.K. Pizza Worth the Hype?4:18 – A Two-Hour Vodka Sauce and Late Nights4:37 – Why Making Pizza Doesn’t Feel Like Work5:10 – Making Burrata From Scratch5:37 – Choosing Quality Over Cutting Costs5:59 – The Pressure of Having One Dough Ball Left6:22 – Making the Ordering Experience Worth It6:49 – Why Alex Still Wants to Make the Pizza Himself7:04 – Running A.K. Pizza Alongside a Full-Time Job7:46 – Will A.K. Pizza Expand in the Future?8:03 – Does A.K. Pizza Live Up to the Hype?8:18 – That Crunchy Crust and Airy Dough8:56 – Why Alex Isn’t Ready to Open a Second Location9:04 – How Investors Could Change the Business9:26 – Why He Won’t Compromise on Ingredients10:26 – What Matters Most to Alex as a Pizza MakerFollow them: https://www.ak-pizza.com/https://www.instagram.com/akpizzaguyThank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese: https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up Corto: https://bit.ly/457DNIIDM @‌whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.comTopics:A.K. Pizza, AK Pizza Seattle, Seattle pizza, best pizza in Seattle, best pizza in the US, exclusive pizza, pizza drops, pizza waitlist, pizza dough, pizza making, homemade pizza, artisan pizza, premium pizza ingredients, pizza crust, crunchy pizza crust, burrata pizza, vodka sauce pizza, small pizzeria, pizza business, pizzeria owner, restaurant operations, quality over quantity, scaling a pizza business, pizza entrepreneurship, What’s Good Dough, Eidref

  2. Oct 19

    The Bay Area Has A Middle Eastern Pizza No One Knew Exists

    How do you get people to try something that looks like pizza but isn’t quite pizza? Eidref visits Manakish Oven and Grill in San Jose to learn about this Middle Eastern flatbread and the story behind the business. From making dough in-house to introducing customers to new flavors, the owners share how they built their business and why great food alone isn’t enough to get discovered. Want to see what Owner.com can do for your business? Owner.com's free Grader will show you how easy your restaurant is to find and order from online in about a minute.https://bit.ly/4dxvMQI Highlights:0:00 – Is It Pizza or Something Else?0:18 – Bringing Manakish to the Bay Area0:38 – Making the Dough and Sauces From Scratch0:54 – Cheese, Pepperoni & a Three-Minute Bake1:10 – The Soft, Crispy Texture of Manakish1:24 – Bringing the Flavors of Home to California2:18 – How Online Ordering Helped Grow the Business2:23 – Building a Branded App for Loyal Customers2:35 – Generating Nearly $500K a Year in Online Sales2:58 – What Wasn’t Working Before3:12 – Taking a Chance on a New Solution3:36 – Why Sometimes You Just Have to Take the Risk4:00 – Seeing Results Within the First 10 Days4:31 – How Do You Explain Manakish to First-Time Customers?4:51 – Getting People to Understand a New Kind of Flatbread5:20 – One Taste Can Turn Someone Into a Lifelong Fan5:45 – Why Being Discoverable Matters for Halal Food5:54 – Why Great Food Alone Isn’t Enough6:21 – What Does It Take to Run a Successful Restaurant?6:21 – Using Technology to Compete With Bigger Restaurant Brands7:01 – Building a Website Without Spending Thousands7:08 – The Lesson Behind Their Growth Follow Them:https://www.instagram.com/manakishoven/https://manakishoven.com/https://www.facebook.com/manakishwalnutcreek/ DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.com Topics:manakish, manaeesh, manakish Bay Area, manakish Walnut Creek, manakish San Jose, Middle Eastern flatbread, Middle Eastern food, halal food Bay Area, halal restaurants San Jose, Mediterranean food, Mediterranean restaurant, manakish pizza, flatbread pizza, pizza dough, homemade dough, restaurant business, restaurant growth, restaurant marketing, restaurant SEO, restaurant technology, online ordering for restaurants, restaurant branded app, restaurant website, restaurant discovery, local SEO for restaurants, small restaurant business, restaurant entrepreneurship, food business growth, What’s Good Dough, Eidref

  3. Oct 12

    He Started With $0. Now He Sells $50 Pizzas

    Is a $50 pizza actually worth it? Eidref visits Slice of Homage in the South Bay to talk Detroit-style pizza, premium ingredients, and what it really costs to make a great pizza. Steven shares how he went from selling Sicilians to friends and family to building one of the Bay Area’s most recognized Detroit-style pizza spots — and why charging $50 for a pizza can actually make sense. Highlights:0:52 – From $20 Sicilians to $50 Pizzas1:39 – The Two-Day Dough Behind Slice of Homage2:09 – That Crazy Detroit-Style Crunch2:30 – Starting a Pizza Business With Almost No Money3:02 – Learning the Hard Way Through Pop-Ups3:36 – How Detroit Pizza Took Off in the Bay Area4:35 – Why a $50 Pizza Can Actually Be Worth It4:52 – The Cost of Premium Ingredients & Labor5:53 – Why He Can’t Sell His Pizza for $206:16 – What It Actually Costs to Make a Pizza6:44 – Rent, Payroll, Insurance & the Real Cost of Running a Pizzeria6:56 – Working 70–80 Hours to Build the Business7:18 – Corner Piece or Side Piece?7:45 – Why the Crunch Still Hits 40 Minutes Later8:05 – The Best Part of Being a Pizza Maker8:12 – Why He Refuses to Cut Corners8:50 – The People Behind the Pizza Follow them:https://www.sohpizza.com/https://instagram.com/sliceofhomagehttps://.facebook.com/Sliceofhomage Thank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upCorto:https://bit.ly/457DNII DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.com Topics: Slice of Homage, Steven Slice of Homage, Eidref, What’s Good Dough, Detroit style pizza, Detroit pizza, Bay Area pizza, South Bay pizza, San Jose pizza, premium pizza, $50 pizza, expensive pizza, pizza pricing, pizza business, pizzeria business, pizza entrepreneur, pizza dough, two day pizza dough, 70 percent hydration pizza dough, Detroit pizza crust, crispy pizza crust, pizza pop up, starting a pizzeria, independent pizzeria, pizza ingredients, pizza food cost, pizza labor cost, restaurant costs, pizzeria pricing, restaurant pricing, pizza business growth, pizza marketing, Bay Area pizzeria

  4. Sep 28

    He Sold 800k Pizzas on DoorDash. Did He Actually Make Money?

    What happens when a pizza business gets too big for the systems that got it there? Eidref sits down with Marc from Square Pie Guys to talk about what happens when a pizza business really starts to scale. From selling more than 800,000 pizzas on DoorDash to opening multiple locations, Marc shares the expensive lessons, growing pains, maintenance issues, and the challenge of relying on third-party delivery apps while building a stronger direct relationship with customers. Highlights:0:00 – From Pop-Up to 800,000+ Pizzas on DoorDash1:32 – Making the Iconic Square Pie Guys Pizza2:18 – Over 1 Million Pizzas Sold2:48 – The Reality of Growing a Multi-Million-Dollar Business3:20 – When Growth Means Taking on Too Much3:49 – Finding a Way Forward After Expanding Too Quickly4:00 – Why Problems Multiply as You Add More Locations4:35 – The $500 Maintenance Check That Can Prevent a $20K Bill5:32 – How Fearlessness Can Drive Business Growth5:59 – The Cheese Behind Square Pie Guys’ Pizza6:32 – How Third-Party Apps Influence Pizza Pricing7:46 – Can Square Pie Guys Ever Get Off Delivery Apps?8:00 – Building Direct Customer Relationships8:10 – Why Content Marketing Could Reduce Dependence on Delivery Apps8:30 – Why Customers Ordering Direct Can Help Restaurants Follow them:https://www.squarepieguys.com/https://instagram.com/squarepieguyshttps://www.facebook.com/squarepieguys/https://www.tiktok.com/@squarepieguys?lang=enhttps://www.reddit.com/r/SquarePieGuys/Thank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII Patreon Page: patreon.com/whatsgooddoughDM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.com Topics: Square Pie Guys, Marc, Eidref, What’s Good Dough, Square Pie Guys pizza, Bay Area pizza, San Francisco pizza, Walnut Creek pizza, Palo Alto pizza, square pizza, Detroit style pizza, pizza business, pizza restaurant, pizzeria business, pizza entrepreneurship, restaurant growth, restaurant scaling, scaling a pizza business, restaurant expansion, third party delivery apps, DoorDash pizza, restaurant delivery, direct ordering, restaurant marketing, content marketing for restaurants, pizza marketing, restaurant operations, restaurant maintenance, restaurant profitability, pizza business growth, pizzeria owner, restaurant owner, food business, independent pizzeria, pizza industry

  5. Sep 14

    Booked a $10k Wedding. Practiced By Making Pizza For 200 People

    What Does It Really Take to Land High-Paying Pizza Catering Clients?In this episode, Eidref breaks down one of his toughest catering events, what he learned from serving 176 people, and why he’s decided to step away from catering to focus on building a media company.Highlights: 0:52 – The Catering Event That Didn’t Go as Planned1:30 – Why a “Bad” Catering Gig Can Still Be a Win1:38 – What Serving 176 People Taught Him2:10 – Why the Next 100-Person Event Feels Easier2:17 – Bringing in Extra Hands for a Smoother Service2:28 – How Experience Builds Confidence2:36 – How to Land Higher-Paying Catering Clients2:58 – From $40 Per Person to $75 Per Person3:12 – Why Your Pizza Brand Can Help You Charge More3:24 – Building a Pizza Brand on Instagram3:43 – Why Your Pizza Has to Look Good AND Deliver3:54 – Starting Small to Build Confidence & Content4:14 – Believing in Your Product4:35 – Knowing When Your Pizza Is Good Enough to Sell4:48 – Why This Might Be His Last Catering Gig4:52 – Choosing a Media Company Over Catering5:27 – The Real Cost of Taking on More Catering Jobs5:59 – Why You Can’t Give 100% to Two Growing Businesses6:06 – Saying No to a $100-Person Catering Gig6:14 – Focus Means Eliminating Options6:34 – Choosing the Bigger Long-Term Goal7:12 – What Eidref Wants You to Take From the Journey8:19 – Was This His Smoothest Catering Event?8:30 – Learning From a Tough Catering Gig8:57 – What Serving 176 People Taught Him9:03 – Why the Next 100-Person Catering Will Be Easier9:12 – Why He’s Bringing a Fourth Person9:40 – Feeling Confident Going Into the Next Event9:58 – How to Land Higher-Paying Catering Clients10:04 – How Much He Charges for Catering10:39 – Investing in Your Pizza Brand10:51 – Why a Strong Instagram Presence Can Help You Charge More11:21 – Why Experience Builds Confidence11:32 – Believing in Your Pizza Product12:03 – Why He’s Quitting Catering12:16 – Building a Media Company12:23 – The Real Cost of Taking on More Catering Jobs Thank you to our show sponsors:Ooni Link: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=77074&awinaffid=1800006Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upJoin my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/Patreon Page: patreon.com/whatsgooddoughDM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.comTopics: pizza catering, pizza catering business, pizza catering tips, pizza catering pricing, catering business, catering clients, high-paying catering clients, pizza business, pizza brand, pizza marketing, Instagram pizza marketing, pizza influencer, food influencer, personal branding, catering business growth, pizza business growth, catering event tips, catering experience, catering confidence, pizza entrepreneur, food business, restaurant business, small business growth, entrepreneurship, business mindset, knowing when to say no, business focus, building a media company, What’s Good Dough, Eidref

  6. Aug 24

    This Tiny Kitchen Sells Out at 500 Pizzas (Frank's Pizza And Pasta Baltimore MD)

    What happens when a 41-year-old pizza shop suddenly goes viral and its tiny kitchen can barely keep up? In this episode, Eidref sits down with Gerry Buontempo of Frank’s Pizza & Pasta in Baltimore to talk about the family business, upgrading their pizza, handling explosive growth, and keeping the old-school feel that made the shop special.  Highlights:  00:52 – Taking Over a Family Pizzeria During COVID  01:51 – The Bell Curve of a Multi-Generational Business  03:02 – Losing Their Pizza Guy & Stepping Into the Role  03:52 – Learning Baker’s Percentages & Rebuilding the Dough  05:41 – Best Product + Best Known = An Unstoppable Force  06:52 – When Growth Outpaced 40-Year-Old Equipment  07:24 – Finally Getting the Lease & Planning a Massive Kitchen Upgrade  08:02 – How Operators Can Create a New Growth Curve  09:46 – Doing 150 Pizzas an Hour With a Tiny Kitchen  10:46 – The Choreography Behind a High-Volume Pizzeria  11:25 – Four-to-Five-Day Dough Fermentation  12:06 – Keeping the Sauce Simple  13:05 – Why Pizza Expo Changed Everything  14:32 – The Unspoken Brotherhood of Pizza Competitions  16:32 – Pizza Karma & Helping Other Competitors  17:06 – Their Award-Winning Margherita  18:08 – Working With Six-Day-Old Dough  19:13 – Why There’s No Such Thing as the “Best” Dough  20:20 – How Pizza Became a Turning Point in Life  22:49 – Carrying on a Family Legacy Through Pizza  24:56 – What Actually Defines Success?  25:33 – Turning Instagram Followers Into Real Sales  26:34 – Recognizing the Signs That You’re on the Right Path  28:06 – Why You Need to Take Inventory of Your Progress  28:53 – Fresh Mozzarella & Respecting the Craft  29:28 – How Small Improvements Compound Over Time  30:25 – The Instagram Strategy: Be the Best Known  31:20 – The Science Behind a Consistent Crispy Bake  32:21 – Water, Time & Temperature: The Pizza “Dance”  34:40 – Why the Micro Details Matter  36:40 – Where Most Pizza Makers Cut Corners  37:09 – The Operators Who Obsess Over Standards  38:27 – “Inspect What You Expect”  39:12 – “What You Permit Is What You Promote”  40:26 – Why You Have to Be Obsessed With What You Do  41:01 – Finding the Work That Gives You More Than Money  43:15 – What’s Good Dough?  44:13 – Feeding People, Making Connections & Building Community  Follow them:  https://frankspizzaandpasta.com/  https://www.facebook.com/frankspizzaandpasta  Frank's Pizza & Pasta (@frankspizzaandpasta) • Instagram profile  Thank you to our show sponsors:  Bacio Cheese: https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up  Corto: https://bit.ly/457DNII DM @whatsgooddough https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/  email me: claire@whatsgooddough.com Topics:  Frank’s Pizza and Pasta, Frank’s Pizza Baltimore, Jerry Von Tempo, Baltimore pizza, Baltimore pizzeria, old school pizzeria, family owned pizza shop, multi generational restaurant, 41 year old pizzeria, pizza business growth, pizza shop viral review, Dave Portnoy pizza review, pizza restaurant success, pizza Expo, pizza dough, bakers percentages, pizza kitchen bottleneck, restaurant equipment upgrade, pizzeria kitchen renovation, high volume pizza shop, cheese pizza, Bacio mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, pizza business social media, Instagram restaurant marketing, pizza marketing strategy, family restaurant business, pizza entrepreneur, pizza industry, restaurant growth, pizza podcast, What’s Good Dough podcast, Eidref podcast, Baltimore food scene, independent pizzeria, restaurant community, pizza business strategy

  7. Aug 14

    The Best San Jose Pizzeria Yet To Be Discovered (The Last Round Tavern)

    What makes a tavern-style pizza stand out—and what does it take to build a pizzeria that can grow beyond the owner? In this episode, Eidref visits Last Round Tavern in San Jose and sits down with owner Caleb Orozco to talk about the unique pizza style he's bringing to the Bay Area.Their tavern-style pizza is thin, crispy, cut into squares, and loaded with ingredients all the way to the edge—but instead of the traditional cornmeal, Caleb uses a sourdough starter. The result is a pizza that's familiar, but completely its own thing. Highlights: 0:00 – Discovering San Jose’s Hidden Tavern-Style Pizza 0:32 – What Makes Last Round Tavern’s Pizza Different 1:00 – Sourdough Meets Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza 1:52 – Rolling, Stretching & Building the Dough 2:24 – The Cuban Pizza: Braised Pork, Ham & Salami 3:07 – 15-Hour Wine-Braised Brisket 3:33 – Building a Taco-Inspired Pizza 3:45 – What Would Caleb Tell His 26-Year-Old Self? 4:20 – Learning to Step Away From the Kitchen 4:50 – Why the Owner Can Become the Biggest Bottleneck 5:00 – Revitalizing East Santa Clara Street 5:35 – Why Last Round Didn’t Offer Online Ordering for Five Years 6:00 – Overcoming Fear & Opening Up to New Opportunities 6:34 – “I Should Have Done This a Long Time Ago” 6:41 – Building a Business That Isn’t Just About the Owner 7:00 – Taking the In-Restaurant Experience Online 7:39 – Creating a Better Online Ordering Experience 8:48 – Tasting the Pizza: The “Hella Texture” Moment 9:30 – The Crunch and Texture They’ve Been Chasing 10:10 – Tasting the 15-Hour Braised Brisket 10:41 – Why They Put So Much Time Into Their Ingredients 10:52 – Creating Something Customers Can’t Find Anywhere Else 11:14 – Final Thoughts: Quality, Value & Doing Something Different Follow them: https://lastroundtavern.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thelastroundsj/ https://www.facebook.com/thelastroundtavern Check out Owner.com: https://bit.ly/3UvMQzy DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.com Topics: Last Round Tavern, Last Round Tavern San Jose, San Jose pizza, tavern style pizza, Chicago tavern style pizza, sourdough tavern pizza, Bay Area pizza, San Jose pizzeria, thin crispy pizza, square cut pizza, sourdough pizza, tavern style pizza California, Cuban pizza, Cuban pork pizza, brisket pizza, taco pizza, wine braised brisket, pizza dough fermentation, pizza business, pizzeria owner, restaurant owner operator, restaurant systems, restaurant bottleneck, online ordering restaurant, restaurant growth, pizza business growth, Bay Area pizzeria, San Jose food scene, pizza entrepreneur, pizza podcast, What’s Good Dough podcast, Eidref podcast, pizza business strategy, independent pizzeria, restaurant marketing, customer experience, pizza industry, artisan pizza, unique pizza concepts

  8. Aug 10

    Let's Make Award Winning Detroit Pizza with White Rabbit Gastro Pub

    How do you build a successful pizzeria, empower your team, and still have a life outside the restaurant?In this episode, Eidref heads to White Rabbit Gastropub in Frederick, Maryland, home of the World Champion Detroit-style pizza and the team behind Rad Pies.The conversation goes way beyond pizza. From developing the famous Crust We Trust to building systems that allow the owner to step away from the day-to-day, this episode digs into restaurant growth, leadership, dough development, customer experience, and the reality of balancing business with family.The team also breaks down how they built their signature 100% hydration dough, experimented their way to better cheese and baking results, eliminated reservations to increase table utilization, and created a culture where employees are empowered to make mistakes and grow.Highlights:2:38 – Welcome to White Rabbit: World Champion Detroit Pizza3:48 – Why Cheese Pizza Is the Ultimate Test6:08 – The Evolution of the White Rabbit Smash Burger6:53 – The Mentor Who Changed Their Restaurant Strategy8:13 – Building Loyalty Through Happy Hour & Word of Mouth9:28 – Adding $1 Million in Sales Without Massive Volume10:08 – Why They Eliminated Reservations12:08 – Building a Bakery & Commissary Kitchen12:38 – The 100% Hydration Dough Behind Crust We Trust14:08 – Creating the Signature Pepperoni-Filled Crust15:38 – The Science Behind Their Cheese Experiments17:18 – Why 100% Hydration Dough Is So Difficult17:58 – Why They Refuse to Compromise on Their Process19:03 – 25-Year-Old Sourdough Starter & Long Fermentation21:18 – Building the Rad Pies Team21:48 – Empowering Managers to Run the Business23:18 – The Goal of an Owner-Absent Restaurant24:38 – Creating the Crispy Bottom on Detroit Pizza31:08 – The “Cheez-It” Theory Behind the Perfect Crust32:38 – Chasing Consistency Without Going Too Dark44:08 – How Small Markets Can Compete With Big Cities45:28 – What Is the “White Rabbit Attitude”?1:01:18 – Can Systems Give You More Freedom?1:01:58 – Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?1:02:38 – Eidref’s Question: Is It Time to Open a Pizzeria?1:03:38 – Using a Restaurant as a Professional Proving Ground1:07:38 – Building a Business Without Losing Time With Family1:09:38 – The 60-Day Grind Behind Opening Rad Pies1:11:23 – Learning Every System by Doing It Yourself1:15:08 – Final Advice: Listen, Adapt & Don’t Be Afraid to Change1:16:38 – Why Pizza Brings People Together1:17:38 – The Power of Relationships in the Pizza IndustryFollow them:https://www.instagram.com/radpiesmd/?hl=enThank you to our show sponsors:Bacio Cheese:https://bit.ly/3FmQ3upCorto:https://bit.ly/457DNIIDM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.comTopic:detroit style pizza, maryland pizza, rad pies md, best pizza in maryland, maryland food, pizza review, detroit style pizza maryland, rad pies, maryland hidden gems, award winning pizza, pizza vlogger, best pizza md

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5
out of 5
103 Ratings

About

I quit my job for pizza. Should you? My name is Eidref Laxa and I am a Mobile Caterer, Ooni Ambassador, and Pan Pizza Champion. Pizza changed my life. I'm guessing that if you're here, it's already changed yours. I started this podcast to learn about pizza and starting a pizzeria. I’m not ready to open a brick and mortar just yet, but I’m still obsessed with learning from pizza operators. Because one day, I just might. I'm just busy doing other things first.

Information

  • Creator
    What's Good Dough
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    381
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © What's Good Dough
  • Show Website
    What's Good Dough?

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