News

&Pizza opening on Wall Street, adds to executive team

July 9, 2019

Washington D.C.-based &pizza, which has 36 locations across the East Coast, is opening its newest unit Wednesday in New York City and has hired or promoted three executives in an effort to fuel even more growth.

According to a company press release, the additions include:

• Andy Hooper, who has been with the brand for 18 months in the role of chief people officer and will now serve as president and COO. Hooper has held leadership roles at Cafe Rio Mexican Grill and Burger King Corporation. 
• Chef Erik Bruner-Yang, who is joining &pizza as executive chef, revamping the menu for the first time since its 2012 inception. A D.C.-based chef — he previously worked at Spoken English, Brothers and Sisters and Maketto — and a James Beard Foundation award finalist, Bruner-Yang will put his own spin on the menu.
• John Reepmeyer, who is the company's CFO. He previously served as the CFO for Roti Mediterranean Grill and VP of finance for Potbelly Sandwich Works, helping both grow and managing the latter's initial public offering in 2013. 

"We're thrilled about the opportunity to push this ever-evolving brand into the future," CEO Michael Lastoria said in the release. "Developing internal talent and pairing it with top-notch additions will propel our company forward in a way that's consistent with its personality."

&pizza's newest unit, located on Wall Street, features a new menu courtesy of Bruner-Yang, and the brand will continue to introduce new shop format innovations. It also plans to double in size over the next two years, including additional locations in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and northern New Jersey within the next year, according to the release.