King & Queen of Pies w/ Nino + Shealyn Coniglio of Coniglio’s Old-Fashioned

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On this episode, we traveled to Morristown, New Jersey to sit down with Shealyn & Nino Coniglio of Coniglio's Old-Fashioned. These 2 have created an incredible pizzeria that is also a full-scale bakery operation with artisanal bread, pastries, and desserts. Nino gets candid about the real challenges of running a successful restaurant and shares priceless nuggets of wisdom. From firing your entitled customers to creating sustainable business models. With plans for a new bar and additional locations, this pizza power couple proves that success in the pizza game isn't just about perfect crust - it's about building something special that serves both your community and your future.

 

Key Ingredients:

• The importance of comprehensive business planning and proper capitalization

• Why owning property is crucial for long-term success in the restaurant industry

• How to balance quality and scale while maintaining authenticity

• The real economics behind running a successful pizzeria

• Why employee retention and fair wages are crucial for growth

• The value (and limitations) of competition wins and media exposure

 

Chapters:

00:00 - How a weird pizza connection led to Morristown

16:57 - Building out the space and initial challenges

31:50 - Fire Your Customers: Tales of dealing with difficult patrons and maintaining standards

45:08 - The Bread Program Evolution: From pizza shop to full-scale bakery operation

01:05:20 - Pizza Competition Chronicles: Stories from the competition circuit and TV appearances

01:23:15 - The Real Economics of Pizza: Breaking down costs, margins, and business realities

01:38:40 - The McDonald's Model & Restaurant Economics: Discussion of franchise systems and business models

01:52:30 - Expansion plans and new ventures

02:05:45 - The Brooklyn Pizza Crew Days

02:12:56 - Overrated or Underrated: Quick-fire opinions on industry topics