Listen Up and I'll Tell a Story of Gus Franco's Pizza
A pizza shop blazing a trail, rocking to their own rhythm, on the outskirts of Allegheny County
The best things in life are free / singing birds and laughing trees
Gus Franco’s is located in the middle of Leechburg Road. This road is off of 28 North, about twenty five minutes from the heart of Pittsburgh. It’s peppered with pizza shops. Peppered is maybe too light of a word. Slathered in pizza shops? Leechburg road is covered in a layer of grease runoff from all the pizza shops.
On a mile stretch of Leechburg Road sits a Domino’s, Little Caesar’s, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, as well as four other local pizza shops. How does one standout on pizza street? A simple search of “pizza” on Google Maps in the area would show that the market has reached pizza saturation. Who would have the gall to open a pizza shop in the middle of a pizza maelstrom?
Some would try for fame and glory / others just like to watch the world
Patrick and Mandy Elston operate Gus Franco’s and, I think, they started this business to talk to neighbors, friends and build a community. Powered by a strong will, they manifested this pizza shop into existence. A run down dentist’s office? No longer. It’s a cozy pizza shop outfitted with a wood fired oven, a counter covered in semolina, a prep station and walls of supplies. Towers of jersey fresh crushed tomatoes, bags of Sir Lancelot flour, rows of Mike’s Hot Honey like little soldiers ready to spice up any pizza. Extreme transparency inviting you to ask questions about their process.
The open air design of the kitchen makes you feel as if you walked in on a historical reenactment of a pizza shop. Like walking through Shaker Village, but instead of running into someone who is pretending to be a blacksmith you’re talking to rising pizza stars. On my visit, Mandy, pizza maker and winner of best dressed at Pizza Expo, was making pizzas and operating the oven, sliding pizza in and out expertly. Patrick’s sister was there to help cut cheese. Patrick was handling the phones and took too much time out of his day to talk to me about pizza.
I ordered the Hot Dad, Cheese and he made me the Pizza Maker Special - Cacio on the Cob.
We also got a salad - some crunch with our munch - which was delicious. We added some meatballs which Charlie enjoyed quite a bit. And she only eats cheese!
The artists walks among the flowers / appreciating the sun
Gus Franco’s pizza is an amalgam of regional pizza types. It’s Neapolitan as a base and outfitted with Pittsburgh fare. It’s crispier and crunchier than most Neapolitan or neo-neapolitan pizzas. No flop here. There’s a layer of semolina flour which gives the crust the “Pittsburgh Crunch,” according to Patrick. The lining of semolina flour creates a protective layer around the outside of the pizza. It’s firm, able to carry the weight of the toppings. But the moment you bite into the carapace it gives way to a soft inside, like a savory croissant.
Patrick says the pizza is tweaked to the New Kensington palate. Each week he’s getting new customers from the area. Some thank them for opening up an artisan pizza shop in their neck of the woods so they no longer have to drive into the city. Changing human behavior is almost impossible. There are huge industries humming long to the tune of billions of dollars working to get you to change the way you think, the way you behave. Influence your decisions. For Gus Franco’s to build an audience on a street with a dozen other pizza shops, the pizza has to be transcendent.
And it is. The pizza is unlike anything I’ve had. Reminiscent of Pizza Taglio with the Gus Franco’s twist. Eating this pizza has had an immediate impact on my life - I’ve since started using semolina flour when I roll out pizza because I so enjoyed the Gus Franco’s crunch. The toppings on the Cacio On The Cob are flavors I’m still thinking about. The parmesan creme that could pass for mascarpone. The corn. Mixing in with the mozzarella on that divine crust. I typically don’t love white pizzas, but this is absolutely a pizza I’ll be returning to.
He does this all his waking hours / but is it really so wrong
When I wrote about Tony coming back to the city Patrick messaged me to say that their Hot Dad was the perfect Greenpointer replacement. I was skeptical.
But he was right. It is a Greenpointer replacement, but better in some ways. Patrick worked one night at Pizza Taglio and realized then that his Hot Dad uses the same sopressata as the legendary Greenpointer. A rare coincidence, but a sign that Patrick’s intuition is a formidable culinary force.
One tweak to the Hot Dad is that Gus Franco’s cut the soppressata up before layering it on the pizza. This is time consuming, but very important.
Patrick knows that he could make these pizzas fast. He could improve performance and operational efficiencies by not cutting up the soppressata for the Hot Dad. But it creates a slightly unsatisfying experience. You bite into the pizza and the whole salami drags every topping off the slice like a pizza avalanche. A mound of cheese covered in Mike’s hot honey sits on the plate, looking up in astonishment. Patrick said, no, this is not the right experience. So what does he doe? He cuts up the soppressata before laying it on the pizza.
This focus on the customer journey, the pizza user experience, is what makes Gus Franco’s a special visit. There isn’t a piece of the business that the team hasn’t thought about from every angle - from the chef’s point of view to the customer looking to try their pizza for the first time.
Each motion, ingredient, recipe is thoughtfully considered which results in a tight, streamlined stunning pizza experience.
Why do you only do that only? / Why are you so odd?
Part of the Gus Franco’s magic is that there is an emphasis on fun. This is a social hub that happens to serve pizza. Gus Franco’s apparel has tydied patterns. We ordered a salad and Patrick gave us an option of dressings. He initially steered us to his house-made Ranch, before revealing that the Balsamic Vinaigrette is made by Mandy. We couldn’t resist a home-made balsamic so we went with that. We found out later that Patrick and Mandy have a running contest of who can sell more of their concoction.
It’s impossible to walk out of Gus Franco’s without a delicious pizza and a week’s supply of joy. Watch Patrick’s Daily Dough series where he spends ten minute talking about the latest happenings in the shop. A live show he does for a dedicated audience waiting to hear what’s the newest item in R&D.
I asked Patrick about his location and proximity to the city. He was happy to be twenty miles from Pittsburgh where he didn’t have to compete with other artisan pizza shops or worry about what shop is on the list of the month. He seemed content.
There is a peacefulness at Gus Franco’s. They will continue to make pizza after pizza. Mandy is still working a full-time job and Patrick works in the shop eighty hours a week. They recruited a neighbor to help with prep work. It takes a village to run a pizza shop. I’m sure they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Most importantly they are making pizza and running a business in a way that sparks joy.
Woah, going to Gus Franco’s was such a blast. I took the fam and it was a highlight of a very long day! They are cooking up amazing pizzas and the aura around Gus Franco’s is seriously joyful. I get the feeling they are in it for the love of pizza, making things their way and building a legacy one pizza at a time.
Gus Franco’s reminded me a bit of Daniel Johnston’s song The Story of An Artist. An artist persists and follows what they believe in against all odds, even when it gets a tad rough.
Friendly Pizza Fest reminder that I’ll be hanging out at the event from 4-6pm this coming Sunday. Grab tickets to Pizza Fest while you can.
Pizza ya later!
Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist