What happens when a pizza shop expects to do $6,000 a day... but ends up doing $16,000?

In this episode, Eidref visits Odie's Pizza in San Diego and sits down with founder Odie O’Connor to discuss one of the fastest-growing pizza concepts in Southern California.

From building a vegan Detroit-style pizza brand in Portland to launching a surf-inspired sourdough pizza shop that generated over $1 million in its first few months, Odie shares the systems, mindset, and lessons behind scaling a high-volume restaurant. This conversation covers dough production, team building, customer service, expansion plans, and the mental challenges that come with explosive growth.

Highlights:00:52 – Crushing Projections: From $6K Days to $16K Days

01:12 – Producing Up to 800 Pizzas Per Day

01:42 – The Dough System Powering High Volume

02:12 – Why Odell Returned to San Diego

02:42 – Building a Surf, Skate & Punk Rock Pizza Brand

03:12 – The Unexpected Explosion in Sales

03:42 – Scaling Without Selling Out

04:12 – Managing a 22-Person Team During Peak Service

04:32 – Redefining What's Possible in a Small Space

04:52 – What Good Dough Means to Odell

05:22 – High Hydration, Long Fermentation & Sourdough

05:52 – Switching From Conveyor Ovens to PizzaMaster Ovens

06:32 – The Hardest Part of Running a High-Volume Restaurant

07:12 – Training Pizza Makers Under Pressure

07:42 – Handling Customer Complaints the Right Way

08:22 – Why Great Customer Service Builds Loyalty

08:52 – Growing From Pop-Up to Food Truck to Brick & Mortar

09:32 – Why Starting Small Matters

09:52 – The Pizza That Defines Odie's

10:22 – Expanding to a Second Location

10:52 – Raising Capital and Scaling the Brand

11:32 – Surpassing First-Year Revenue Goals

12:12 – The Reality of Overnight Success

12:42 – Managing Stress as an Entrepreneur

13:22 – Therapy, Mindset, and Staying Present

14:02 – What If Everything Goes Right?

14:32 – Gratitude, Success, and Building Something You Love

Follow them:https://www.instagram.com/propizzamaker/https://www.facebook.com/papaspizzacaborojo/

Thank you to our show sponsors:

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Topic:

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