What if the smartest way to start a pizza business isn’t opening a restaurant… but avoiding rent altogether?
In this episode, we spend the day with Jeremy and Michelle of Gabacool, an award-winning pizza pop-up that built a powerful brand without the massive overhead of a traditional pizzeria. From prepping in a $235/month commissary kitchen to selling out every weekend at brewery pop-ups, they’ve created a system that prioritizes flexibility, strong branding, and high-quality ingredients.
We break down how their pop-up model works, why they refuse to pay venues to operate, the importance of creating a memorable brand presence, and how thoughtful dough fermentation and ingredient sourcing elevate their pizza. It’s a blueprint for anyone who wants to start a food business without the risk of a full restaurant lease.
Highlights:
00:00 – Women’s Pizza Month scholarship announcement
00:22 – Why most famous pizzerias are run by men
00:35 – The surprising cost Gabacool completely avoids
00:51 – Introducing Jeremy & Michelle of Gabacool
01:09 – Inside their $235/month commissary kitchen
01:30 – Storing ingredients and prepping for 300–400 pizzas a weekend
01:53 – Why traditional restaurant rent can reach $5k–$10k
02:04 – Packing up for the pop-up service
02:28 – Running a “sell-out model” for pizza nights
02:43 – Arriving at Moonlight Brewing in Santa Rosa
02:53 – The brewery partnership model
03:04 – Why they refuse to pay venues to operate
03:21 – Running a pizza business with almost zero fixed overhead
03:47 – Setting up the pop-up restaurant tent
04:03 – The $6,000 custom tent and branding strategy
04:41 – Why strong visual branding matters for pop-ups
04:53 – How branding helped people remember Gabacool
05:05 – Setting up the kitchen and becoming a restaurant in minutes
05:27 – The origin story of the Gabacool name
05:52 – Running the business beyond cooking: design, website, merch
06:06 – Building the business without a traditional office
06:13 – Winning a Pizza University scholarship
06:41 – How their pop-up kitchen workflow operates
07:05 – Their dough formula: flour blend, hydration, and fermentation
07:50 – Culinary training and lessons from the CIA
08:14 – Evaluating the final pizza bake
08:26 – The constant tweaking required for pop-ups
09:07 – Sponsor segment: managing cheese costs in pizzerias
09:11 – The “Snail of Approval” and what it represents
09:42 – Growing from 10 pizzas a night to 65+
10:03 – Why community is the real reward of running a pizzeria
10:38 – Final takeaway: building a premium brand without a storefront
Follow them:https://www.gabacoolprovisions.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557383763722
https://www.instagram.com/gabacool_provisions?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Thank you to our show sponsors:
Bacio Cheese:
https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up
Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII
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