Every day, pizzeria operators grind to produce great pizza and customer-service experiences for their patrons. This podcast features free-flowing conversations with those operators regarding the trials and tribulations they face both inside and outside of work. The show also features pizza news and deep dives into things like unique pizza styles.
Episode 63: Beyond the Marketplace - DoorDash’s Jeff Frost on Direct Ordering
Third-party delivery has become a complicated part of running an independent pizzeria, but DoorDash says the marketplace is only one piece of the equation. In this episode of PEEL: A PMQ Pizza Podcast, Brian Hernandez sits down with Jeff Frost of DoorDash to talk about what happens after a customer finds your pizzeria through a third-party marketplace—and how operators can build a stronger direct relationship from there.
Frost, who started his career working in pizzerias before spending about a decade at DoorDash, explains the distinction between marketplace and first-party ordering, describing the marketplace as a “virtual main street” where hungry customers discover restaurants. The conversation covers websites, online ordering, branded apps, loyalty programs, customer data, marketing, review management and POS integration, along with how independent operators can access technology that helps them compete with much larger brands. Frost also explains why operators should look beyond a headline commission when evaluating ordering channels and why the goal of direct ordering is ultimately retention rather than acquisition.
Brian and Frost also tackle the practical side of building a strong online ordering experience, including the eternal question of website versus app, and how DoorDash Direct fits into the mix. It’s a candid conversation about what third-party delivery can do, where direct ordering fits, and how independent pizzerias can use technology without losing the local personality that made customers want to order from them in the first place.
16 Sept 2026
Episode 62: His Business, His Approach: Bill Zonios of Glenside Pizza on Third-Party Apps
Bill Zonios has built Glenside Pizza into a $2 million-plus independent operation without taking a single order through DoorDash, Grubhub or Uber Eats. In this episode of PEEL: A PMQ Pizza Podcast, Brian Hernandez sits down with Zonios to talk about why he has kept delivery in-house for 25 years and, more importantly, how he gives customers the convenience they expect from third-party apps without handing over the order or customer relationship.
Zonios explains how Glenside Pizza uses Toast, its own branded app and Shipday to provide online ordering, saved payments and delivery tracking with its own drivers. He also digs into customer data, email marketing, loyalty, SEO and why operators should treat their websites like a second storefront. With 50% to 60% of his customers ordering online, Zonios says today's pizzeria operator needs to understand the back end of the business instead of simply waiting for customers to show up.
But this conversation goes well beyond third-party delivery. Zonios talks about growing up in his family's pizza business, taking over Glenside Pizza from his father, his approach to leading employees and the period when he became so frustrated that he considered selling the restaurant. A trip to Dedham House of Pizza outside Boston helped change his outlook and taught him the value of getting outside his own four walls, asking other operators for help and continuing to learn no matter how long he's been in the business.
For operators already using third-party delivery, Zonios also offers a practical starting point: use those orders to build direct relationships. Menus, box toppers, QR codes, coupons and simple price comparisons can show customers exactly what they can save by ordering directly next time.
9 Aug 2026
Episode 61: Pizza. Wine. $10K. Dan Richer on the Perfect Your Pizza Competition
Francis Ford Coppola Winery is looking for its next great pizza-and-wine pairing—and Razza’s Dan Richer is one of the people you’ll have to impress. In this episode of PEEL: A PMQ Pizza Podcast, Brian Hernandez sits down with Richer to talk about the fifth annual Perfect Your Pizza competition, what he’ll be looking for as a returning judge and what it takes to make a pizza-and-wine pairing stand out. Professional pizza makers and home bakers can enter through Sept. 30 for a chance to win prizes, including a grand prize package valued at up to $10,000.
REGISTER HERE: https://www.francisfordcoppolawinery.com/perfect-your-pizza/
But we’re not getting Dan Richer on PEEL and only talking about a competition. The six-time James Beard Award nominee and chef and co-owner of Razza, named North America’s best pizzeria by 50 Top Pizza in 2024, goes deeper into the philosophy that has made him one of the country’s most respected pizzaioli. Richer talks ingredient quality, portion control, simplicity, consistency and why pizza makers should develop their own identity instead of chasing trends. He also digs into the challenge of building a great restaurant team, why your simplest pizza might be the most important one on the menu and how decades in the business have only made him more curious about what he still has left to learn. Think you’ve got a $10,000 pizza? Enter the Perfect Your Pizza competition—and listen in for some advice from one of the guys who’ll be judging it.
Who has been a guest on Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Mike Kurtz
Matt Plapp
Tyrell Reed
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 27 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
25
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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