Wil peaks with Enga Stanfield, co-owner of Pizza Today's 2025 Pizzeria of the year, multi-location Mattenga's Pizzeria in San Antonio, and Head of Community at Owner.com. Enga, an Iranian-born former engineer with no prior restaurant experience, shares how she and her husband Matt transitioned from engineering to restaurant ownership in 2014 by purchasing a struggling pizzeria, initially losing significant money due to inexperience. Through relentless grassroots marketing, obsessive cost control, data-driven location selection, and frugal self-funded growth, they turned the business around, expanded to multiple locations, achieved consistent strong sales growth, and built a profitable family-oriented operation that prioritizes community giving, strong systems, and work-life balance while preparing for potential franchising.

10 Takeaways

No experience required, but commitment is essential: Enga and Matt had zero restaurant or business background yet succeeded through sheer passion, grit, and a willingness to learn from expensive mistakes.
Obscurity is the biggest enemy: The real problem isn't perfect recipes or discounts, it's getting known. Aggressive, consistent marketing (guerrilla tactics, drop-offs, parades, costumes) is the owner's primary job.
Babysit numbers, not people: Obsess over P&L, labor percentages, food costs, and sales forecasting—small percentage improvements on large volumes create massive profit impact.
Hustle beats excuses: External factors (bad location, competition like Chick-fil-A) are irrelevant; successful owners take full responsibility and aggressively pursue customers.
Give to receive: Donating hundreds of pizzas monthly, supporting schools with spirit nights, and community involvement builds loyalty and drives long-term growth.
Location math matters: Use free tools like USPS Every Door Direct Mail to analyze household density, income levels, and demographics to ensure a site can support target sales and profit margins.
Break growth into simple math: Reverse-engineer sales goals into daily orders needed, then create targeted marketing plans to acquire and retain those customers.
Build systems and people, not just rockstars: Strong operational systems and deliberate team development allow scalability. Doing $15/hour tasks yourself prevents building a real business.
Negotiate everything: Leases, vendor prices, contracts: always ask, build in exit protections, and never sign desperate deals. Walking away power is crucial.
Profitability enables generosity: Running a tight, systematic, profitable operation allows you to pay people well, give back to the community, and maintain a thriving family life.

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