Supporting Local AAPI Business: Rose City Pizza
Rose City Pizza
3588 Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead (626) 280-8885 www.rosecitypizza.com
Contributed by Chris Ventura of Rosemead Chamber of Commerce
Rose City Pizza offers a unique experience for pizza lovers with a variety of signature culinary creations.
Since it opened its doors in 2009, Brian Nittayo owns and operates Rose City Pizza in Rosemead as well as its second location which opened in September 2021 in the city of Covina.
Nittayo graduated from Cal Poly Pomona’s Collins College of Hospitality Mgmt—earning his degree in Hotel & Restaurant Mgmt. Outside of his studies, he gained experience working at several restaurants and hotels, and received professional training. He has also trained under 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani.
He spent time working in New York and fell in love with authentic New York style pizza—a style and recipe that he adamantly recreates in his restaurant kitchens today.
He began his trek into business ownership when his family opened a franchise of Cold Stone Creamery in San Dimas. Eventually, his family would open a second Cold Stone location in Rosemead. His sister Catherine still owns and operates the Cold Stone Creamery in Rosemead.
In 2009, Brian, with the help of his sister Catherine, opened Rose City Pizza. Several years following the opening, Nittayo explained that his sister had stepped back from the pizza business and turned her full attention back to her Cold Stone Creamery in Rosemead as well as spending time raising a family of her own.
A combination of streamlined techniques, innovations, and unique recipes has made Rose City Pizza a continued long-term success and makes it a choice destination amongst many of its local competitors.
One of the turning points for Rose City Pizza was its ability to adapt its business during COVID, which led to an increase in efficiency. As Brian explained, pizza is a key take-out option for many, and during the pandemic, many locals turned to Rose City Pizza as a prime choice and consistent take-out option. Rose City Pizza was able to adapt its business practices to meet the demand.
As Brian explained, originally they relied solely on old-school brick ovens which weren’t the fastest at cooking pizzas. As demand increased, they adapted their preparation and recipes to be able to use pizza presses and conveyor ovens to speed up prep-time and cook-time.
Technology also played a role in his business improvements.
“We instituted a POS system,” Brian said. “Before that we were writing tickets down. The POS system would also send a text message to the customer when it was ready. So that was helpful, because we couldn't have too many people waiting inside so they could just wait in their cars or go shopping and come back.”
Since business operations became more streamlined and the new kitchen equipment was easier to use, this aided in his ability to meet demand and grow, eventually growing into a second location. He explained that these changes helped him to more easily hire new employees during a time when businesses were suffering from staffing shortages. With these changes, it was easier to train new employees using simpler preparation and cooking methods and providing employees with tools to take orders quickly, accurately, and to serve customers better.
“I hired anybody who was willing to put in hard work and [was] passionate about pizza and passionate about us,” Brian said. “With these new conveyor ovens and the pizza presses, I was able to still maintain our consistency and increase efficiency.”
Brian believes in giving a chance to anyone who has a passion for the business of making quality food and delivering great customer service. 80% of his staff is college students who may have never worked in a restaurant before. For some, this may even be their first job.
On the potential for further growth, Brian said that while he is proud of his ability to streamline and expand, he feels that he’ll stick to the two locations for now.
“I'm trying to get my processes down where, you know, anybody can come in and work and know what to do,” Brian said. “That's what I'm thriving for. I'm just trying to find better practices. If you're old enough to work and you show me that you're passionate about putting in good work, then my job is to provide you with the skills and the tools to do well at your job.”
Brian initially faced some challenges when he first opened in 2009—during an economic recession. He said that he once received some sound advice from a customer which provided hope during the economic downturn.
The message from that customer has stuck with him. ‘The more people you talk to, the more people you get on your side, the more people you establish friendships with…they'll never let you sink.’ Brian has taken that attitude to social media, interacting and reaching out to customers. He also makes it a point to always check on customers and converse with those who visit his restaurants. Communication and social connections are keys to success.
“With all those supporters, no matter how bad it gets, I feel like as long as we treat them right and do the best we can, they won't let us sink,” Brian said.
Rose City Pizza is not just your average pizza place. “You're going to try things you never tried before and you're going to be mind-blown at how good it tastes,” Brian said.
Brian said that a number of their unique pizza recipes have been inspired by his own experiences in cultural dining and culinary cooking. They have also been inspired by (and guided by) his employees’ suggestions, their different nutritional requirements, and their multicultural backgrounds.
In addition to the traditional offerings of a pizzeria, some of Rose City Pizza’s unique signature recipe pizzas include: Elote, The Flamin’ Hot Elote, Birria, Al Pastor, Char Siu, Manila Sunrise (a Filipinoinspired breakfast pizza), Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, Queso Fundido, Space Cowboy, and Jalapeno Popper. Plus, they also offer vegan friendly options and a Dog-friendly pizza.
Prior to having children of his own, Brian and his wife used to rescue pit bulls. His life-long love for dogs has carried over into the kitchen.
“We have an outdoor seating area and I noticed the dog would just be sitting at the table with a look of yearning for their food,” Brian said. “I think it'd be really cool if we gave something to them, too. We've always had a love for dogs. we treat our dogs like, kids. So you have got to get something for the kids… your fur-babies!”
Having overcome the challenges of a recession and a pandemic, Rose City Pizza is poised for continued success at not just one, but two locations—creating a unique dining experience for customers, a satisfying workplace for its employees, and a strong and joyful connection with the communities they serve.
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