Beyond The Dough

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KEYS TO LIFE?

My son, Nycholas, asked me, “Dad, what are the keys to life?” he promoted them on social media, the more TV producers noticed. The bookings started rolling in. The affable Testa mostly stayed in the wings, putting few, if any, demands, on the producers—they’re the pros, after all, and know what works.

I’ve learned this: Gratitude, Giving and Effort!

Blessings flow into a space of gratitude. Be thankFULL for the basics in your life.

Give your time. It’s the most valuable thing you have.

Effort drives EVERYTHING. When you’re struggling? Effort. When things are great? Effort. When it’s easy? Effort. When it’s hard? Effort.

What are your keys to life?

Sporting branded T-shirts and performing routines they developed with their dad, Michael and Nicholas were soon charming hosts and audiences alike on talk shows like Good Morning America, The Wendy Williams Show, Rachael Ray and The Steve Harvey Show. The boys loved it—no stage-dad pushing required—and so did Testa’s customers, who came to feel like they knew the boys personally, whether they’d met them or not.

To learn more about Perfect Crust’s pizza liners and other products, visit perfectcrust.com or email Eric Bam at Eric@perfectcrust.com

About Eric Bam:

A Boston native now living in Tulsa, OK, Eric Bam is VP of sales and marketing for Perfect Crust, with 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry. A powerful force in the workplace, Bam uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. He has three children and loves helping the men and women of the pizza industry grow their businesses.

Now a star player on his high school’s football team, Michael was a natural at dough spinning, while Nicholas had to try harder and made mistakes. But cute little Nicky knew how to steal the show. “Michael was the first to go on TV, with Nicky in the audience,” Testa recalls. “But Nicky would work his way onto the stage as Michael’s sidekick. Michael was really tossing, and Nicky was trying. Michael was getting the ‘oohs’ from the audience, and Nicky was getting the laughs.”

Testa and his sons kept polishing the act, with each boy getting a chance to shine. “There’s always a point when Michael gets that one minute where he takes it to the next level. Nicky can’t keep up with him, but he’s always doing something in the background that’s still entertaining to the people. We learned that early on—how to keep the audience entertained.”

And entertaining is what Michael and Nicholas love best. Once, as they waited backstage for their second appearance on Rachael Ray, Testa asked Michael if he was nervous. “He looked at me, so confused, and he’s like, ‘No, why?’ He had no idea he should be nervous,” Testa says. “My heart’s about to jump out of my chest. There’s only a few hundred people in the audience, but millions are gonna see this. This kid is special—he’s just got it.”

Maximizing the Luck

For several years, various TV producers came up with their own names for the dough spinning team: the Mozzarella Fellas, the Dough Boys, etc. Testa went along with them until 2015, when he settled on a name that stuck: the Jersey Pizza Boys. “We needed a brand and an identity for them,” he says. “When we did The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon in early 2017, I was adamant. I said, ‘Just so you know, we go by Jersey Pizza Boys now.’ That was the big nationwide introduction of the brand.”

It’s also the name of Testa’s second restaurant, which launched in Avenel to huge success less than a year ago. Leading up to opening day, Testa used social media to create a buzz for the new store, posting behind-the-scenes videos of everything from bathroom renovations to installing the oven’s exhaust hood. “You would think that’s boring, but people watch that stuff,” he says. “We didn’t do any advertising when we opened. We just unlocked the doors, and it was a madhouse. We couldn’t answer the phones or offer delivery. We just focused on the people who walked in.”

Then, last November, Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports showed up and gave Jersey Pizza Boys a solid score. “I’m in Jersey City for 21 years, and Portnoy has never come to Carmine’s Pizza Factory,” Testa says. “But we’d made enough noise through our marketing in six months that he came and gave us a great score of 8.1.” Even better, Testa had scheduled his first direct mail push—5,000 mailers featuring the Jersey Pizza Boys menu—for November 23, which turned out to be the same day Portnoy’s video dropped. “That just kept our momentum going,” he says. “I know I’m a very lucky guy, but I also make sure to maximize the luck.”

With his mix of marketing savvy and occasional good fortune, Testa has created a brand that could easily travel beyond the Tri-State Area. He’s not sure whether the boys will make pizza their career, and he’s not pressuring them to do so—he wants them to go to college or trade school first. But the brand will live on either way. While Testa hasn’t changed the name of his Jersey City location, he has rebranded the menu as Jersey Pizza Boys by Carmine’s Pizza Factory. He’d like to open a third store in New Jersey, then look at expanding into other states, probably in the South. “People have moved all over from Jersey, specifically to North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, and they love Jersey pizza. I think the brand will really be a powerhouse in those areas.”

He’s unsure about franchising, but licensing the Jersey Pizza Boys name could be an option. And several investors have shown interest. First, though, he wants to nail down his system and processes. “I don’t want to take anyone’s money, because, God forbid, it fails, and you just cashed out your 401(k),” he says. “I can’t guarantee success yet. I’m a perfectionist. I need to open another location in another Jersey town, and if I can duplicate our success there, I’ll feel more confident with an investor who wants to open in Tennessee.

“For now,” Testa adds, sounding like the loving dad that he is, “I’m just focused on nurturing this brand.”

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.