283. Celebrating 20 Years of Home Slice Pizza

Send us Fan MailJoin hosts Denise Greer and Kate Lavin as they sit down with Jen Strickland and Jeff Mettler from Home Slice Pizza to celebrate an incredible milestone—20 years of serving authentic New York-style pizza in Austin, Texas.In this episode, Jen shares the origin story of Home Slice, born from her love of New York pizza and frustration with Austin's lack of quality slices. She takes us back to November 2005, when she and her partners opened their doors on South Congress Avenue with recipes perfected in her home kitchen. Jeff discusses how the business has grown from those scrappy early days—when wait times stretched to 2.5 hours—to a beloved Austin institution with multiple locations.Hear about the restaurant's legendary Carnival of Pizza event, which returns this November 15th after an eight-year hiatus, complete with dough-throwing competitions, the Great Calzoni fortune teller, and even a proclamation declaring it official Home Slice Pizza Day in Travis County.Jen and Jeff also reflect on what makes Home Slice special: an unwavering commitment to hospitality, staff development, and authentic human connection. They share stories from the trenches, including how they adapted during COVID-19, why they take full-time employees on pizza pilgrimages to New York City, and their philosophy of organic, people-centered growth that led them to Houston in 2022.Whether you're a pizza operator looking for inspiration or simply a fan of great food and community-focused business, this conversation offers valuable insights into building something that lasts—and tastes delicious.Featured in this episode:The birth of Home Slice and Jen's journey from food editor to pizza entrepreneurHow the team learned to make New York-style pizza at scaleThe evolution from a struggling single-oven shop to a multi-location operationHome Slice's approach to hospitality in both dine-in and takeout experiencesNavigating the pandemic while keeping staff and community at the centerThe annual New York pizza trips that have become part of company cultureWhat's next for Home Slice as they look beyond year 20Tune in to hear how three friends with a passion for authentic pizza built an Austin landmark, one slice at a time.