Alex Marzo started in the pizza biz because he needed a job. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, he was surrounded by pizza joints selling the finest pies in the United States. (Just ask any New Yorker.) At 16, he applied for a dishwasher position at a local pizza joint.
“Who doesn’t love pizza?” Alex laughs. “I called four or five times and bugged the manager enough that he hired me. They didn’t even have a dish machine — I had a sponge and scrub pad. It was horrible.” Alex worked his way up from dish washing to making pizza and eventually became the assistant manager.
Meanwhile, Alex's stepfather was in charge of construction for the first Johnny Brusco’s New York Style Pizza franchise in Concord, North Carolina. The operating partner there wanted an assistant manager, and though Alex was barely old enough to have a drink at the bar, he moved to be closer to his family and to take on the challenge of building out and opening a new restaurant. Despite not knowing everything there was to know about operating a restaurant — managing supplies, inventory, and staff — Alex knew a thing or two about persistence and he was quite accustomed to hard work. He also had the mentorship of the franchise owner and the support of the Johnny Brusco's corporate team. “As I got to know Luke and the corporate team, I realized I could lean on them. When I have a question, they respond back within minutes. Their operating background is huge. That’s what makes us really good.”
Alex knew the restaurant was hitting its stride early on. “It was a very busy location,“ he recalls. “We did a great job hiring people and creating a good vibe. Once we had regulars — the people who could come in and know their drink was already waiting for them at the bar or their pizza was already in the oven, we knew we were doing a good job. And it just kept going.”
Alex still relishes in the high intensity atmosphere. “I really liked the entire restaurant business,” he remembers. He's owned multiple locations. When one of the partners at the Concord store was ready to retire, Alex knew he was ready to buy in. Then the opportunity to buy into the Mooresville location arose in 2013; Alex jumped at that, too. And in October of 2019, he opened a third Johnny Brusco’s in Charlotte. It's currently the busiest store in the franchise, which Alex credits to a great team and superb location.
When the coronavirus hit the United States, Alex was concerned but steadfastly optimistic. Even though sales took a hit, he had a plan of action in place. “First, I told my team we weren’t throwing in the towel. I knew we’d have to be flexible and take every curve ball that came our way.” His team relied on takeout orders, delivery and curbside pickup to sustain the business. They closed their dining rooms and wore masks to interact with customers, even before the mandate. “We wanted our customers to feel safe and to know we are taking this seriously,” Alex says. “The Johnny’s Pizza franchises have an advantage because we have a lot of smart minds involved, coming up with creative ways to keep moving forward.”
Now, his stores are operating at half capacity, and curbside is still a big hit. “People really care about how it makes their lives easier, so we will definitely continue that service when life goes back to normal,” Alex says. He knows that the restaurant business plays an important part in helping people find normalcy in an uncertain time. “People can get out of their house and socialize. Employees can come to work and get a paycheck,” he says. That’s what he’s always loved about the industry. And that’s what he’s excited to get back to. “I’m ready to have a full, wild restaurant with sports on and all that good stuff.”