What if the smartest way to start a pizza business isn’t opening a restaurant… but avoiding rent entirely?

In this episode of the What's Good Dough Podcast, we spend the day with Jeremy and Michelle, the team behind Gabacool Pizza, an award-winning pizza pop-up that built a powerful brand without the massive overhead of a traditional restaurant.

From prepping in a commissary kitchen to selling out at brewery pop-ups, they’ve built a business that prioritizes flexibility, creativity, and community.

Throughout the episode, they break down their entire workflow—from prep and transport logistics to branding, menu design, and the realities of running a food business without a permanent location.

If you've ever thought about starting a pizza business but were intimidated by restaurant rent, this episode offers a real blueprint.

Highlights:

02:57 – Arriving at the Petaluma commissary kitchen

03:12 – Why pop-ups still need a legal kitchen space

04:25 – Storage rules and health regulations for food businesses

04:57 – Managing trips between the kitchen and the event location

05:39 – Preparing ingredients for hundreds of pizzas in a shared fridge

06:39 – Organizing dough trays and prep workflow

09:41 – Why their commissary kitchen supports the local community

10:43 – Supporting artists and designing the Gabacool brand

11:19 – How they originally transported their entire pizza operation in small cars

12:00 – Designing a van setup for maximum efficiency

16:00 – Packing equipment and organizing mobile pizza operations

20:00 – Why brewery pop-ups work as a business model

23:57 – Building real relationships with brewery partners

25:10 – Selling out early and the challenges of high demand

30:00 – The realities of running a pizza pop-up every weekend

37:24 – The physical demands of catering and pop-up events

38:53 – Creating a clean and memorable pop-up brand experience

46:05 – Lighting, propane, and the technical side of running a mobile kitchen

50:00 – Dialing in oven temperatures for outdoor pizza service

01:00:00 – The moment a pop-up setup starts feeling like a real restaurant

01:05:49 – Creating weekly specials using local farm ingredients

01:06:20 – Non-food tasks required to run a food business

01:06:30 – Branding, merch design, and social media strategy

01:08:55 – Running a business without a traditional office

01:10:48 – Designing marketing materials from a phone or tablet

01:11:04 – Michelle’s background in events, design, and hospitality

01:15:30 – Learning to run multiple pizza ovens during service

01:16:40 – The trial-and-error process of improving systems and workflow

01:16:47 – Winning a scholarship to Pizza University

01:19:00 – Overcoming imposter syndrome in the pizza industry

01:31:25 – Dough ball size, fermentation, and pizza technique

01:34:00 – Jeremy’s culinary school experience and career path

01:35:42 – Breaking down how their pizza bakes in the oven

01:50:24 – Reflecting on making over 20,000 pizzas and building a community

Follow them:https://www.gabacoolprovisions.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557383763722

https://www.instagram.com/gabacool_provisions?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Thank you to our show sponsors:

Bacio Cheese:

https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up

Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII

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Topic:

pizza pop up, pizza pop up business, pizza pop up restaurant, starting a pizza business, pizza business blueprint, how to start a pizzeria, pizzeria startup costs, restaurant startup without rent, pizza entrepreneurship, pizza business model, commissary kitchen pizza, pop up restaurant business, brewery pop up food, pizza brand building, pizzeria marketing, pizza business tips, pizza entrepreneur story, award winning pizza