Michael Lastoria, founder of &pizza, changed the way Washingtonians (and Baltimorians, and Virginians, and …) think about their local pizza shop. He opened the first &pizza in D.C.’s H Street Corridor in 2012, rejecting industry pundits and politicians who said the neighborhood was too risky, too insular, too low-market. Lastoria rejected that notion, and all the others about the traditional pizza shop. He opened that store with a brand-first, experience-oriented philosophy, earned the respect of the community and now, four years later, has opened 20 more — all company-owned stores — in equally off-the-path neighborhoods. That’s not to say he’s made copies. Each store is different; &pizza prides itself on reflecting its local community, both in terms of design and vibe. And there will be more: The company announced in November 2016 that it has received $25 million of growth capital to fund “its rapid expansion into several major markets, including New York City."
With a background in marketing and branding, Lastoria also made it a point of foundational purpose to give back, both to the locality and its employees. That’s why the brand started “&charity,” a hyper-localized charity arm, and why more than 50 of the company’s approximately 500-plus staff got the &pizza logo, its trademark ampersand, tattooed on their body, offered for free to Tribe Members (staff) by the brand. Seems he’s on to something.