Operations

Pandemic causes PizzaLeah to pivot

Leah Scurto opened her pizzeria, PizzaLeah, in Sonoma County, California just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown hit the state. That caused Scurto to pivot her concept from dine-in to carryout, and she's got a unique perspective on how carryout works for her in our latest podcast.

January 19, 2022

Leah Scurto opened her pizzeria, PizzaLeah, in Sonoma County, California just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown hit the state. That caused Scurto to pivot her concept from dine-in to carryout, and she's got a unique perspective on how carryout works for her. Scurto talked about her trials in our latest podcast.

"California's been pretty stringent across the board, which I'm sure everybody watches from afar," she said. "I think it was tough for everyone across the country in the beginning. It was a stay-at-home order. Restaurants were takeout only. My whole vision and dream for the restaurant was dine-in and that (went) totally out the window immediately.

Scurto spent more than 20 years at California-based Pizza My Heart, which helped her build a strong foundation for a carryout and delivery business.

"I don't think I'll ever get to where I wanted it to be as a dine-in restaurant at this point," Scurto said. "People has know us from inception as a takeout pizzeria."

Learn more about Scurto's pivot from dine-in to carryout in our podcast here.