Planet Pizza is one of Ridgefield's most popular eateries in town. In addition to being a town hot spot, Planet Pizza is known for supporting the community.
One of the Planet Pizza managers, Mike Drogalis recently started a Facebook page called called PizzaLife which features the restaurant's daily pizza making activities.
I had the great pleasure of talking with Mike about PizzaLife as well as his long career as one of Planet's most respected employees.
1. How was the idea for PizzaLife conceived?
Answer: The idea has always been there for #PizzaLife as far as I was concerned. Even when I had just started answering phones eight years ago I would see Domenick flipping slices or even full pizzas in the store, whether it was a slow Monday or a busy Friday. And as I became a member of the full time staff and worked my way up I always thought it would be cool to know how to do that. And one day when I thought I had a good handle on it I reposted a SnapChat I made onto Facebook because of the responses. And it took off from there.
2. You've been working at Planet for close to 10 years now. How much has changed from when you started to right now?
Answer: A lot has changed for sure. Aside from adding several items per year to the menu, Domenick has overhauled the entire front of the store, from painting the walls of the dining area and bathrooms himself, to installing all of the TVs you see in Planet now. And not just the 3 that are for watching television but also the 6 LEDs that now display our entire menu. We have also made online ordering a big part of business to make us more accesible to customers, and offering lots of incentive to use our online process. There is also a lot of more restaurant business whether it's next door or down the street, all over town but it is great to see it all fits into a great community.
Answer: We try to be creative. I can flip a slice through my legs, over my head, into a box, into the oven, while spinning, etc. We have a couple tricks up our sleeve for the future but that is currently a secret!
4. What has so far been your proudest moment as manager at Planet Pizza?
Answer: It's hard to pick one moment. But a top one would definitely be working every day that the town/state was out of power during those two big storms a few years ago. Even without power ourself. Then there is the fact I get to work with my brothers every day, like a true family work environment.
5. What are your hopes for your future pizza career here at Planet?
Answer: I love this job and hope to never leave it. I would love to eventually be the owner of Planet. Thanks to the opportunity provided by Domenick and the Rocco brothers, I have found a perfect work environment for myself to thrive in, and I would love to continue to cultivate that environment for others looking for employment, and continue to provide food for Ridgefield and the area surrounding it.
Check out the PizzaLife FB page here