Square Pie Guys CEO Daniel Stoller on How Tech is Improving the Pizza Business Interview with the co-founder of Square Pie Guys about building culture from the inside out, using media as a learning tool, and creating the Domino's Pizza of the next generation.
By Shawn P. Walchef •
Key Takeaways
- Culture Starts with the Team - For Daniel Stoller and Square Pie Guys, culture begins with clear expectations of what the team needs. He and his business partner Marc Schechter make it a point to have clear expectations and pivot if, or when, the issue is systematic.
- Learning is Growing - As he says it, Daniel Stoller is "famously a college dropout". Though he may toss an academic book in the garbage pile, he has managed to grow as a restaurant leader via consumption of information outside of the industry and finding his community.
- The Next Domino's - Daniel Stoller strives to make Square Pie Guys the Domino's of this generation, but not in the way that may first come to mind. Being located in Silicon Valley, SGP uses high-level technology to consistently deliver high-level service.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Daniel Stoller, co-founder and CEO of Square Pie Guys, has aspirations of turning his fast growing pizza business into the "Domino's of our Generation".
"Every company nowadays needs to leverage technology to be better at what it does," Stoller says about Domino's Pizza to host Shawn P. Walchef of CaliBBQ Media on the Restaurant Influeners podcast. "They've built an incredible technology stack."
Having locations in the middle of Silicon Valley, it's no wonder that new and emerging restaurant technology like Toast has played an important role in the growth of Square Pie Guys. Using 27 different software products during business operations may seem excessive, but the team has figured it out.
As Stoller states, "that's not what makes us special. What makes us special is we figure out an operational model that can succeed at high volumes and do it in a way where the consistency is incredibly high and all of that's wrapped into a package that looks really exciting and tastes delicious."
Creating such a functional model requires trust. Trust that can only be earned within a business with a strong culture. However, instead of invoking his ideas of how things should be, the pizza company CEO is able to use his past experiences to encourage a unique collaborative culture that begins with his team.
"For me, the culture really starts with understanding what makes the team happy or what they need," says Daniel Stoller. The healthy culture at Square Pie Guys has created a level of trust that allows for clear expression of expectations and collaborations with the likes of former NBA player, and Bay Area hero, Jeremy Lin.
Unconventional is a word that aptly describes both Daniel Stoller and Square Pizza Guys. The "famous high school dropout" has used his unconventional method of learning and absorbing information to execute the vision for SGP.
"Consumption of media has been huge for me," Stoller says of his learning method. "I think you have to find your community."
Daniel Stoller and Square Pie Guys has been successful in finding a community online and offline. With the help of a strong technology stack, including Toast POS, that community will continue to expand.
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