How did your pizza journey begin?

Audrey: I got my first pizza job in Connecticut when I was 17 years old and it was a delivery job. It started a love/hate relationship in me. Delivery driving definitely wasn’t for me, but I was about to fall head-over-heels for pizza…I just didn’t know it yet. At that shop, the kitchen was entirely family-run, so there wasn’t much of an opportunity for me to try my hand at making pies. I left and tried retail and worked at a movie theater for a while after that. That made me realize how much I loved movies, so one day I’d love to combine a Slingin’ Pizza with a movie theater! 

I moved to California when I was 19. I remember picking up a pizza from a local pizza place with an open kitchen and saw how much fun the team was having making pizza…so I applied! I was trying to save up as much money as possible at that time so I was working two jobs.  I would wake up at 4am to open a sporting goods store, go home around 1 to nap and be at the pizza shop by 4pm. In spite of how busy I was, that time in my life made me realize how much I enjoyed slingin’ pies.  From there, I went on to work at an independent shop and a chain so I could learn pizza from every possible angle. The rest is history!

What have been the biggest challenges along the way?

Audrey: One challenge that came up recently was the Texas freeze back in February of 2021. We did everything we could to get open every day for ten days, but we just kept running into more issues. It started out with burst pipes and the propane line to the oven had cracked and let all our propane out; and during the worst possible time since there was a propane shortage. Then the shop flooded with four inches of water in some places. To top things off, the ceiling caved in due to a burst pipe in a house I was managing. That was probably one of the most challenging times in my life to be honest. Not to mention the fact that we had opened our shop just 9 months before the country shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was kinda terrifying, but we charged through.

We hear that you’re opening a new location in Little Elm, TX….congrats! What has stood out to you about the community there?

Audrey: Yes! We just opened our location to Little Elm, TX. So incredibly excited!! I had been looking at the area for a while as my family lives there and I’ve worked pizza in the area. Ironically, I managed the shop that used to be in the space we just opened in, so it all just feels right.

You created a Sling It Forward program in 2019 tell us more about how it works!

Audrey: Sling It Forward has two parts. We have our Sling It Forward meal board in our lobby. There are four meals to choose from and we split the cost 50/50 with the customer. They place the meal card on the wall and anyone who needs it for whatever reason can take a meal card and get food. No questions asked. It’s all about giving what you can and taking what you need. 

For example, I had a guy forget his wallet one day…so he snagged a card off of the board and we made him a meal. The next day he came in for lunch and paid for his lunch and then bought a Sling It Forward meal to put on the wall for someone else! 

We also go around playing a Sling It Forward game where we hide SIF wristbands around town. The tag attached tells them to keep the wristband, but to go do something awesome for somebody and give them the tag. The tag then tells them they can come get their own wristband and tag at their nearest Slingin’ Pizza and keep the kindness flowing!

Sling It Forward launched simultaneously with your pizzeria; why was it so important to you to make sure that Sling It Forward was a part of Slingin’ Pizza right from the start?

Audrey: Something I saw very consistently across the board was that people will get pizza on their best days and their worst days. I also realized how much I like to join people in their celebration and to be there for people on their worst days. Even if it’s just the joy of a fresh delicious pizza…it’s something. I wanted giving back to be a part of Slingin’ Pizza’s roots. My dream now that we're in a more populated area is to franchise, so we Sling It Forward all over!