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10 Questions: Boston's Pizza president Sergio Carvallo

In this 10-question conversation, Boston's Pizza president Sergio Carvallo discusses the importance of hospitality, why execution matters as much as strategy, and why the human touch remains one of the pizza industry’s most essential ingredients.

Photo: Shutterstock

October 19, 2026 by Valerie Gritton — Editor, Pizza Marketplace

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At Pizza Marketplace, we spend a lot of time covering what restaurant brands are doing. But sometimes the more interesting story is why their leaders are doing it and what they've learned along the way. That's the idea behind 10 Questions, a series that goes beyond the headlines to get inside the minds of the people shaping the pizza industry. In this series, each leader answers the same set of questions, giving readers a chance to see how different leaders approach the challenges, opportunities and decisions shaping their brands — and the pizza industry as a whole.

In the competitive U.S. pizza market, success takes more than great food. It requires a strong hospitality culture, consistent execution and teams committed to delivering memorable guest experiences. For Sergio Carvallo, president of Boston's Pizza U.S., these fundamentals are central to building a brand that stands out and earns lasting relevance with American consumers.

Carvallo brings 30-plus years of hospitality and business leadership experience to the role, having worked with global companies such as Yum! Brands, Nestlé and Cuervo. He joined Boston's Pizza more than a decade ago and opened the company's Mexico City office in 2015, leading the brand's expansion to 28 restaurants in Mexico. In September, the company announced his new role as president, Boston's Pizza U.S.

Drawing on his experience building teams and growing the brand across markets, Carvallo shares the lessons that have shaped his leadership, the challenges that have taught him the most and his vision for Boston's Pizza's future in the United States.

Q. What initially attracted you to the pizza business, and what has kept you in it?

Carvallo:My first experience in the industry came from leading Yum!'s Pizza Hut franchise business, which included approximately 40 locations and 12 franchise partners in Mexico. That role taught me the fundamentals of the pizza business—and gave me my first experience making dough.

Q.What inspires you each day?

Carvallo:I'm inspired by continuous learning and building high-performing teams. We are in the people business, so strengthening our hospitality culture at every level of the organization is a top priority for me.

Q. What is the most important lesson you've learned during your career in the pizza industry?

Carvallo:You can create an outstanding strategy, but without consistently high standards of execution, it has little value.

Q.What career decision did not go as planned but ultimately taught you a valuable lesson?

Carvallo:I once launched a limited-time offer that both the data and our instincts suggested would succeed, but the product underperformed. I learned that operational success requires involving and gaining the support of every stakeholder—especially front-of-house team members.

Q. What makes a great pizza brand: the food, the people, the culture, the guest experience, or something else?

Carvallo: All of those elements matter, but if I had to choose one priority, it would be building a strong hospitality culture. The guest experience, food quality, and team performance all flow from the hospitality standards a brand establishes.

Q.What is one thing people outside the industry often misunderstand about the pizza business?

Carvallo: The pizza business can be as simple or as complex as you make it. Success comes from building the right culture, implementing effective systems, and delivering a consistent guest experience every time. Achieving that consistency is the hardest part.

Q.Looking five years ahead, what excites you most about the future of pizza?

Carvallo:Pizza has universal appeal—people around the world love it. Its versatility creates nearly unlimited opportunities for innovation, making it a business with a strong future.

Q. What is one goal you have yet to accomplish?

Carvallo:I want to make Boston's Pizza relevant in the world's largest and most competitive market: the United States. We have a strong brand, excellent food, and a great atmosphere—in many ways, we are the best-kept secret.

Q. What is one thing you would never compromise in your business?

Carvallo: Ethics and values. I will always strive to do good while doing well, supporting both my team and our mission as a brand.

Q. What comes next for you and Boston's Pizza, and what should pizza operators watch for?

Carvallo:Our next step is to align our vision and hospitality standards with both current and future franchisees. Through consistent communication, data-driven decisions, and innovation, we aim to build greater relevance across the United States.

Q.Bonus question: If you could change one aspect of how the pizza industry operates, what would it be?

Carvallo: To me, the pizza industry's secret ingredients are passion and the human touch. As automation expands, we risk losing the personal connection rooted in the industry's origins in Italy: people making pizza for people.