Conversations with Chris Donato

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Donato.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Back in 2005, I moved to Boulder, CO from Boston, MA and began working at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa, where I quickly worked my way up to General Manager and Sommelier, putting my Level II Sommelier certification to good use.

Ready for the next phase of my career, I sought the advice of Frasca Food & Wine co-owner and Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey, who recommended I spend some time in Italy to become more familiar with the food and culture. I left my job at the hotel and departed for Italy within two weeks to make it in time for the wine harvest. Working at several wineries and Michelin-starred restaurants while living in Italy, I developed a stronger appreciation for authentic Italian tradition and flavors.

Bringing my newly acquired knowledge with me, I returned to Boulder determined to work at Frasca Food and Wine. Without an immediate opening to fill, I took Italian language classes and helped open a local family Italian restaurant while interning every Tuesday at Frasca. After a few months, a full time position became available at Frasca. I quickly worked my way to a front server position and helping with shifts on the wine team so when Pizzeria Locale’s full-service Boulder pizzeria opened, owners Bobby and Lachlan named me General Manager. During my time as GM, I was named an Eater Young Gun in 2012 and 2015 LinkedIn: Next Wave member. Since then, I’ve been named Lead Brand Manager of the four Pizzeria Locale’s fast-casual restaurants working to help develop the brand, business model and strategy for the future.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Transitioning a full-service restaurant to a quick-service restaurant hasn’t been easy. We’ve made a handful of big mistakes of the year. We have always been dedicated to making Neighborhood Neapolitan pizza made the right way: four-ingredient dough, fermented overnight, stretched by hand and baked in our super hot Neapolitan smart oven. Back in 2014, we were excited by a the idea of offering hand-milled whole wheat flour crust. We installed flour mills in each pizzeria, recipe tested for weeks and began offering only whole wheat pizza crust. It was more nutritious and had more flavor. People hated in – sales dropped quickly, guest comments came pouring in and we knew we had made a mistake. We changed back to the original Neapolitan recipe and our guests couldn’t have been happier.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
For the first eight years, we were open Pizzeria Locale focused on the in-person dining experience only. Neighborhood Neapolitan pizza style is thinner than traditional American pizza and we were being protective of the quality of our pizza. We wanted our guests to have only the best pizza and didn’t want to risk a cold or soggy pizza.

But in 2019, we began testing online ordering and the results were surprisingly positive – it turned out our pizza travelled better than we thought; we were being overly protective. So we began building out our own digital experience for pick up and delivery with an App, ordering site, loyalty program, etc. The digital system launched in 2019 with very positive response.

Once the pandemic hit we realized how luck we were to have already set up a digital ecosystem that could handle the incredible increase in digital sales driven by COVID. Digital sales remain strong today and have changed the way we do business.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
WSJ – CMO today daily newsletter Sam Harris – Waking Up App. Ad Age Subscription.

Contact Info:

• Email: chris@pizzerialocale.com
• Website: www.pizzerialocale.com
• Instagram: @pizzerialocale
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PizzeriaLocaleUS
• Twitter: @pizzerialocale
• Youtube: Pizzeria Locale