Operations
How Piesano’s turned a single slice shop into a thriving Florida chain
From humble beginnings as a pizza-by-the-slice window near the University of Florida, Piesano’s Stone Fired Pizza has grown into a 15-location Florida chain by staying true to its core ingredients of quality, consistency and teamwork.
November 6, 2025 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
From a simple pizza-by-the-slice window near the University of Florida to a thriving chain of 15 independently-owned locations, Piesano's Stone Fired Pizza has built its success on a classic recipe of passion, partnership and perseverance. Co-owner Joel Mills, who spent his early career mastering the craft of pizza making, opened a slice shop in 2000 and the first full-service Piesano's in Gainesville in 2009.
While the dream of expansion seemed distant, their robust business model, featuring dedicated carryout centers, allowed the company to pivot and even thrive when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered dining rooms, proving that sometimes, even a wrench can help turn a great idea into a blossoming enterprise.
A second Piesano's opened in 2011, also in Gainesville, but on the south side of the city. In 2014, Mills got the opportunity to open a location right by the university.
"Everybody has dreams, and we thought 'maybe we can franchise this,'" Mills said.
Mills, Jerry Roberts and Mike Akey partnered together in 2019, and it springboarded from there, Mills said. Each Piesano's is independently owned, and today there are 15 units.
"COVID threw a little wrench in it. When COVID came, it kind of shut us down," Mills said. "We have people who have worked for us for forever. We can't lay all these people off."
When the shutdown happened, Piesano's restaurants already had carryout sections. Suddenly to-go orders picked up, and while they used to have three or four people working the carryout area they called back in a handful of employees and then had 10 or 11 working that section.
"We basically did the same business without seats," Mills said. "It was pretty tough, but we got it done."
On the menu
Today, Roberts handles the management side of the business, Akey handles the design and construction of new sites while Mills is the culinary brains.
The top sellers on Piesano's menu include a Deluxe with pepperoni, onions, meatballs, mushrooms, black olives and mozzarella, the Meat Eater with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, bacon, ham and mozzarella and the Pizza Antico, which features a thin crust, fresh mozzarella, mini cup and char pepperoni and fresh basil.
Piesano's uses Grande cheese, Stanislaus tomatoes, good flour and top-quality ingredients.
"I had one shot to do it, and I was only going to use the best of the best, and that would help us succeed," Mills said, "And I never ventured off that. My little store is still there 25 years later. It's a lot more expensive, those ingredients, but I believe it's what keeps customers coming back. I'd rather give somebody something I'm proud of. … Even through inflation, I'll never change the ingredients. That was part of our agreement when I signed the partnership."
Dough is made in-house daily, and team members cook meats like ground beef on site. The bolognese sauce is also made in-house. They butterfly and pound chicken breasts for the Chicken Parmesan dish.
"We've really got a really good, organized system," Mills added. "We have all specs written down and we have them all in an iPad, so when you make the dressings and stuff you can pull it up and it shows you all the specs."
Mills said that consistency is imperative to success and was one of the brand's biggest challenges. Mills plus two other employees travel around to the 15 stores to ensure proper methods are being used to make the food.
Pizza and calzones account for about 50% of sales, while appetizers and the brand's sauteed dishes account for the other 50%. Piesano's bakes in Hot Rocks Stone Conveyor Pizza Ovens.
"It's all about having pride in the product," Mills said, adding that making pizza is like an art and starts with the sauce. "Every little thing matters."
 |
An employee at a Piesano's takeout window. Photo: Piesano's |
Culture
Positivity is key at Piesano's — managers work hard to keep negativity at bay.
"We've got a good culture," Mills said. "We treat everybody with respect, and we want everybody to treat others with respect."
The brand promotes from within as much as possible. One employee at the second location started as a busser in college, then started serving and wanted to learn some management skills. He opted to stay with Piesano's after college and eventually worked his way up to general manager.
Florida is saturated with pizza brands, and Mills said service sets Paisano's apart from its competition.
"We try to hold a higher standard so you come in and our atmosphere is really good (and) our service is above everybody," Mills said. "We do table touches (and) we make sure everything is clean."
The quality of the product also sets Piesano's apart. Florida has lots of snowbirds from the Northeast looking for good pizza, and they can find that at Piesano's.
Aside from iPads, Piesano's uses HungerRush for its POS system, they offer online ordering and use third-party delivery services.
For fledgling operators, Mills recommends using the best ingredients and ovens possible.
"It's not an easy business," he said. "You have to be persistent and you have to be good. Just put out the best quality. If you love this and this is what you want to do and you have the pride to do it, you can do anything you want to do."
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.
