By Patricia Measer
Coppola’s Pizzeria in Bemus Point is well known in the area for their specialty pizzas, amazing sauces, and rockin’ cannolis. First opened in 2008, it recently changed ownership. Twin brothers Jake and Justin Andriaccio purchased the business from their cousin, Luke, assuming operations only a few days after Super Bowl LVII. “Luke did a great job of getting this business up and running and creating brand recognition,” said Jake. “So, when we heard that he wanted to sell, we talked about keeping it in the family.”
Justin and Jake were born into the restaurant business. Their grandparents opened Andriaccios Restaurant across from the gates of Chautauqua Institution in 1982. Their parents, Nick and Sally, took over that restaurant when their grandparents retired. The brothers started working there while they were in high school. They worked every job, starting with dishwashing and prep work, learning the business from the ground up. They now help their parents manage Andriaccios. They believed that the experience they gained there could be applied to Coppola’s but wanted to discuss it with their parents first to get their insight. Nick and Sally thought it was a great idea. So, Justin and Jake moved forward with the offer to buy. Their parents were very supportive and have provided some consulting advice, but the brothers are doing all the leg work.
When asked what their goals for Coppola’s are, Jake responded, “First, we wanted to make it a seamless transition. We’ll make only small changes to the menu to refresh some options, but will definitely keep the dough and sauce recipes that Coppola’s is famous for.” They are planning to stay open longer during the busy summer season. Coppola’s is currently open 5 days a week. Starting in May they will operate 7 days a week. They also plan to extend the hours each day starting in June and will offer lunches on the weekends. They are hoping to take advantage of the great weather and foot traffic to expand their business.
Another goal is to make some process changes that will have a positive impact to both their employees and their customers. “It’s a small building, so there is only so much you can do with the space, but we are always looking for small changes we can make,” Jake said. For example, they are modifying the layout and traffic flow in the main area, adding a cold case for quick grab-and-go items, and removing some bottlenecks in the kitchen. “Even the little changes to the menu mean that our employees don’t have to complete multiple steps just to change one thing in an order.”
Meanwhile, the brothers are still handling the day-to-day operations at Andriaccio’s, and plan to take over when their parents retire. How do they manage all that? “We have employees at Andriaccio’s who have been with us a long time and are fantastic. We wouldn’t have taken over the new business if we didn’t have this core of great management and staff. And the employees at Coppola’s have been super inviting and have been rolling with the changes. They care about Luke like family, and now they’ve made us feel like a part of that family.”
It also helps that Andriaccio’s will be closed for a bit at end of March/beginning of April for some renovations, so the brothers can slow down a bit. They want to spend more time at Coppola’s to get things set up the way they want, like installing the TOAST point-of-sale system. Jake said they need everything to be systematic and foolproof, so that core management can take over and run the pizzeria as they would expect. Jake adds that they want to maintain a reputation of expedited service. “You always find out through trial and error what else needs to be changed. But, if you do it the right way, you can put out a lot of food, and good quality food, efficiently.”
One thing that won’t change is the name. Coppola is their grandmother Andriaccio’s maiden name. They will continue to use her recipes, so want to continue honoring her by keeping her name on the business.
For more information or to get the latest updates on hours of operation, follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CoppolasPizzaria.