Pizza Empire State of Mind | Mike Bausch (Andolini’s Pizzeria) | DH088

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Mike Bausch has a Pizza Empire State of Mind.

To build an empire it takes an Empire State of Mind.

Our Digital Hospitality podcast guest Mike Bausch is a Tulsa, OK restaurateur, world pizza champion, author, and thought-leader in the hospitality and pizza industries.

He has spent more than 15 years building his pizza empire into much more than a multi-unit pizzeria chain. Like all good leaders, Mike wants to help others succeed, too.

This summer Mike Bausch will be a keynote speaker at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. He also shares his insights about the pizza business in the Pizza Today column Mike’s Monthly Tip.

“Driven By Virtue. Crafted By Taste.” – The Andolini’s Standard

Andolini’s Pizzeria — which serves “Tulsa Style” food and libations — has been named one of the best and top rated pizzerias in the US by a number of publications including USA Today, BuzzFeed, CNN, and the Food Network. It’s real craft food made by real people who really care about their craft.

Mike Bausch wrote Unsliced: How to Stay Whole in the Pizzeria Industry, which was published in October 2020 by Lioncrest Publishing, the “elite publishing division” of Scribe Media.

Writing a business book wasn’t easy but it was a rewarding experience, Mike said.

“It’s also really, really damn hard to write a book while running a lot of stores and I pulled it off,” Mike Bausch said about writing Unsliced. “It took a lot of hours… I think the audio book is the best way to experience the book, because any time I have a joke or I’m trying to put emphasis on the right syllable, you get to experience that and know what I’m trying to say better. And it’s a little bit more approachable.”

Here’s the Unsliced book summary from Amazon.com:

If you own a pizzeria, you know something most people don’t: the pizza business is more cutthroat, stressful, and multifaceted than Wall Street. Every day is a constant struggle to manage overhead, attract loyal customers, stand out from the pack, and keep your employees motivated.

Running a pizzeria is hard. But it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think.

Unsliced is THE resource for elevating your pizzeria — from managing staff to mindset, marketing, and everything in between. Industry leader Mike Bausch explains how to make your restaurant unique and in demand based on his twenty years of experience. You’ll learn how to build systems that will help you boost your sales and keep your sanity. And you’ll discover time-tested protocols that will protect you and your restaurant.

It’s hard not to get discouraged in this business. But with the right perspective, smart systems, and hard work, your restaurant can thrive.

As you’ll learn when you dig into this podcast, Mike Bausch is a rock star and we’re lucky to have him on Digital Hospitality.

What did you learn from this podcast episode featuring Mike Bausch of Andolini’s Pizzeria? Let us know @calibbqmedia @calibbq or @shawnpwalchef on social media or by emailing the Cali BBQ Media team at podcast@calibbq.media.

About Mike Bausch:

Mike Bausch’s restaurant Andolini’s Pizzeria is a top 10 pizzeria in the USA, according to TripAdvisor, BuzzFeed, CNN, and USA Today. Andolini’s began in 2005 and has grown to five pizzerias, two gelaterias, two food hall concepts, a food truck, and a fine dining restaurant by 2019.

Mike Bausch is a World Pizza Champion, a Guinness Book world record holder, and a writer for Pizza Today.

Mike is part of a Marine Corps family who has lived across America from New York to California. Mike calls Tulsa home and lives with his wife, Michelle, and son, Henry.