Bill Zonios has built Glenside Pizza into a $2 million-plus independent operation without taking a single order through DoorDash, Grubhub or Uber Eats. In this episode of PEEL: A PMQ Pizza Podcast, Brian Hernandez sits down with Zonios to talk about why he has kept delivery in-house for 25 years and, more importantly, how he gives customers the convenience they expect from third-party apps without handing over the order or customer relationship.
Zonios explains how Glenside Pizza uses Toast, its own branded app and Shipday to provide online ordering, saved payments and delivery tracking with its own drivers. He also digs into customer data, email marketing, loyalty, SEO and why operators should treat their websites like a second storefront. With 50% to 60% of his customers ordering online, Zonios says today’s pizzeria operator needs to understand the back end of the business instead of simply waiting for customers to show up.
But this conversation goes well beyond third-party delivery. Zonios talks about growing up in his family’s pizza business, taking over Glenside Pizza from his father, his approach to leading employees and the period when he became so frustrated that he considered selling the restaurant. A trip to Dedham House of Pizza outside Boston helped change his outlook and taught him the value of getting outside his own four walls, asking other operators for help and continuing to learn no matter how long he’s been in the business.
For operators already using third-party delivery, Zonios also offers a practical starting point: use those orders to build direct relationships. Menus, box toppers, QR codes, coupons and simple price comparisons can show customers exactly what they can save by ordering directly next time.
Dining and Cooking