The Plan That Built Us… and Almost Broke Us
Why “if we build it, they will come” stopped working - and what we did next.
Next week, we’re opening our 8th Pizzana location in Dallas.
Eight. When I say it out loud, it still surprises me.
Not because I didn’t believe we’d get here, but because the restaurant we’re opening today looks almost nothing like the one we opened eight years ago. And I don’t just mean the design (though yes, we’ll get to that).
I mean the entire strategy. The business model. The way we think about real estate, profitability, and what it takes to win in this market.
If 2017 Candace could see 2025 Candace, she’d probably think I’d lost my edge. Or that I’d gotten too practical. The truth is: The most dangerous thing you can do in business is fall in love with your original plan.
Because the world doesn’t care about your plan. It’s going to change whether you’re ready or not. And if you’re not willing to change with it? You’re done.
Act I: “If We Build It, They Will Come”
When we opened our first Pizzana in Brentwood in 2017, we went all in.
We wanted to make a statement. Back then, LA wasn’t a pizza town - it was tacos, sushi, and green juice - so we had to be bold to make people take notice. We built a beautiful space and invested heavily in design. We sourced the best ingredients and featured our Neapolitan master pizzaiolo. Every detail mattered: the 48-hour dough rise, the carefully curated menu, the vintage Italian lighting.
And it worked. People came. The buzz was real. Lines formed. For a while, the “if we build it, they will come” philosophy felt bulletproof.
And then... COVID hit.
Act II: The Pivot No One Saw Coming
March 2020. Everything shut down overnight.
We had just opened our second location. Suddenly, our beautiful dining rooms, the ones we’d poured so much money into, were empty. Our entire business model? Irrelevant. We had two choices: close our doors or figure out takeout. Fast.
We pivoted hard. Curbside pickup. Delivery partnerships. Family meal deals. Pizza kits people could bake at home. We did whatever it took to stay alive. We survived because we were willing to let go of what we thought Pizzana “should” be.
For months, we weren’t a destination restaurant. We were a lifeline for families stuck at home who just wanted good food and a break from cooking.
It wasn’t glamorous. But it kept us in business.
Act III: Welcome to the New Normal
When the world reopened, I naively thought we’d just flip the switch back to “normal.”
But normal was gone.
Offices stayed half-empty. Lunch traffic dried up. People’s habits had shifted. They weren’t commuting, weren’t doing power lunches, weren’t grabbing a quick bite before heading back to the office.
So we responded. We stopped doing lunch at most of our locations. Why pay staff and keep the lights on during hours when no one’s coming in? It was a hard call, but the right one.
We also realized something else: the market had matured.
In 2018, being the hot new spot was enough. In 2025? You need to give people a reason to keep coming back. Buzz fades. Loyalty has to be earned.
So we got creative. We:
refreshed our design with playful illustrations, pops of color, plants, and warmth
added bars and bar seating wherever we could to create energy
built out a killer happy hour
launched Cacio Club, our loyalty program, to reward our best customers and give them reasons to keep coming back
rolled out collaborations with chefs and influencers for limited edition menu items and special dinners
started programming events (trivia nights, bingo and more) to build community
We weren’t just a pizza place anymore. We were a neighborhood favorite.
Act IV: The Profitability Era
Then came the hardest pivot of all: profitability.
For years, we approached growth the way I’d always approached business: go big or go home. We did beautiful buildouts, first-generation spaces, custom everything.
And yes, it looked amazing. But it also meant we were sinking massive amounts of capital into every location. Which meant longer payback periods. Which meant less attractive ROI for investors (and for us).
Then we had a wake-up call: The market doesn’t reward ambition anymore. It rewards profitability. So we overhauled our real estate strategy.
Now? We’re hunting for second-generation spaces. Places where we don’t have to build from scratch. Budget-friendly cabinetry. Smarter, leaner buildouts. We’re engineering our growth with the same precision we engineer our menu.
The one thing we’ll never compromise on? The quality of the food. The San Marzano tomatoes and imported fior di latte cheese. The craft and the care. Because at the end of the day, people come back for the pizza, not the custom millwork.
What This Means for You (Even If You Don’t Own a Restaurant)
Whether you’re running a bakery, a consultancy or a DTC brand, the lessons are the same:
Fall in love with the mission, not the method.
Your original plan was perfect for that moment in time. But markets shift. Consumer behavior changes. Technology evolves. If you’re clinging to “how we’ve always done it,” you’re already behind.
What’s the core thing you’re trying to deliver? (For us: exceptional pizza and community.) And, what’s the most effective way to deliver that today?
Survival requires speed.
When COVID hit, we didn’t have the luxury of six-month strategic planning cycles. We had days. The businesses that made it were the ones that could pivot fast.
You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing to try something, learn, and adjust.
Buzz is not a business model.
In the early days, press and hype can carry you. But eventually, you need fundamentals: loyal customers, repeat business, sustainable margins.
Ask yourself: Am I building something people will love once? Or something they’ll come back to again and again?
Profitability is sexy now.
I get it - it’s not as fun as the “growth at all costs” era. But investors are looking for businesses that stand the test of time, not just ones that make headlines. Efficient operations, smart growth, and sustainable margins are the new flex.
Never compromise on your non-negotiables.
For us, it’s the quality of our ingredients. For you, it might be customer service, craftsmanship, or ethical sourcing. Figure out what you’ll never budge on, and then be ruthlessly flexible about everything else.
The Bottom Line
Opening restaurant #8 doesn’t feel like a victory lap. It feels like proof that we’ve learned how to listen. To the market. To our customers. To the numbers.
And maybe most importantly, to the voice in my head that says, “That strategy worked then. But does it work now?” Because the businesses that last aren’t the ones with the best original idea - they’re the ones brave enough to keep reinventing.
So if you’re holding onto a strategy that’s no longer serving you, whether it’s your pricing model, your marketing approach, your product line, or your entire business model, give yourself permission to let it go.
Your brand can stay consistent even when your strategy changes. In fact, that’s exactly how you stay relevant.
XO,
candace
P.S. What’s one thing in your business that worked beautifully two years ago but isn’t working anymore? Comment here or hit reply and tell me. I’d love to know what you’re navigating right now.
P.P.S. If you’re in Dallas, come see us at our grand opening in Preston Hollow next week! Details coming soon on Instagram.
Here’s to profitability as a worthy - sexy! - goal. Perhaps Silicon Valley’s greatest crime against humanity was putting that in question.