Something new is rising on Oleander Drive near Tidal Creek Co-op.
Although he emphasizes its early days and many details are being ironed out (including an opening date), Brad Sywolski plans to open a second Brooklyn Pizza Co. at the site where Great Harvest Bread Company baked for years, well before handcrafted bread was routinely available in Wilmington.
Great Harvest closed temporarily in April 2020 and never reopened. Franchise owners Jodie and Eric Hawthorne purchased the bakery in September 2017 with the intention of expanding the menu of fresh-baked, hearty breads to include sandwiches, which they added to the menu in the spring of 2018.
In addition to artisan bread, there has also been an increased demand for made-from-scratch, minimalist pizza. It’s nothing against the ubiquitous pizza chains, Sywolski said Monday, but his restaurant offers original and always-handmade versions of pizza that focus on the art of the craft rather than speed or quantity. The original location is at 6932 Market St., near Gordon Road and offers a variety of wings, salads, sandwiches and other delights, including mussels with marinara sauce.
Sywolski – along with many other restaurateurs during the pandemic rollercoaster ride – doesn’t want to mess with a good thing, he said.
“We’re going to replicate the location that we're currently in at another location on Oleander Drive,” he said. “It will have outdoor seating as well as indoor seating. It's still going to be counter-based service, but it's still gonna be the same product that we have here" on Market Street.
"We're not going to try to be something we're not," he said.
Sticking with what works and keeping it simple seem to be the preferred recipe for restaurateurs and chefs navigating COVID-19, which many hoped would be mostly out of the picture by now.
Even with the success at the Market Street shop, what would motivate anyone to open a new restaurant at a time when the pandemic is mimicking an obnoxious diner who refuses to leave?
“Well, several months ago, it seemed like a good idea,” Sywolski said in a frank serving of honesty.
Not that his pizzas need a sweetener, but Sywolski is not sugar-coating the challenges restaurants currently are facing, from a shortage of workers to a lack of sausage. “You know, everything we do is handmade,” Fywolski said. “Everything we do we need those hands to be here making it.”
“Someone approached us and said that this opportunity was available,” Sywolski said. “Based on the construction right across the street and the future construction that's going on just a block away, I figured it wouldn't hurt to maybe capitalize on our 26 years of serving this community. We want to push our brand a little bit more.”
And even though there have been enough workers to make the food, running the front of the house has been a challenge.
The labor crunch is the principal reason Brooklyn Pizza Co. hasn’t offered dine-in service for two years. “Other than the situation with the pandemic, we've never been busier,” Sywolski said. “But I'm so short-staffed that we could not accommodate dine-in. And that has transitioned into a new workspace.”
Some key ingredients are still missing, Sywolski said, but the new location definitely is in the works. “We will extend our delivery zone obviously farther,” Sywolski said. “We still need to really analyze that in better detail as that time draws near.”
In addition to putting together a team, Sywolski acknowledged much of the economy continues to feel supply-chain pressures.
Upfitting and stocking a new restaurant is no easy task, he said. “We're getting things like 15 to 25 weeks to 30 weeks for deliverables on large-scale mechanical products,” Sywolski said.
At the end of the day, however, he knows other restaurants are facing the same challenges and Brooklyn Pizza Co.'s goal is to stand out at this unique time. “What we’re selling is a quality product,” Sywolski said. “I personally don't feel we compete with the likes of the chain-based establishments. “We just have a higher-quality product that requires more touch.
"From the time the flour is put into the mixer until the customer takes it out of the box is over 200 steps,” he said. “We want to maintain those high standards."
There's a need for artisanal pizza in the area, Sywolski said. "We’ve got our fingers crossed."
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Brooklyn Pizza Co. opening at former Great Harvest Bread location - Greater Wilmington Business Journal
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