Party Bear Pizza

"'One of [Ward's] first impressions about the city was its vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, and he couldn't help but feel moved to be a part of it. 'One thing that stood out to me about St. Louis is that this is a place where I could try something,' Ward says. 'I was inspired seeing what my friends were doing on Cherokee or in the Grove, and I wanted to be a part of that. I felt like this was a place I could try something, so I figured, why not give it a shot?'"
-- Riverfront Times, 10/22/2019

Before COVID, I did something I'd wanted to do since I was a kid: I opened a pizza place.

I grew up making pizza at my family's restaurant, starting when I was 13 at Pizza Unlimited in Rushville, IL.

Years later, I created Party Bear Pizza, a tiny pizza concept operating out of a punk-rock pinball bar in St. Louis.

There was no client brief. I named the restaurant, secured licenses and permits from the city, developed the brand and voice, wrote the menu, adapted my family's recipes, built the social presence, and handled the day-to-day reality of actually making and selling pizza.

Party Bear specialized in 7-inch personal pizzas made with house-made dough and sauce, alongside 12-inch frozen pizzas to go.

Then COVID happened.

Party Bear Pizza remains closed, but the experience changed the way I think about brands and business. It's easy to debate a headline in a conference room. It's another to name it, make the product, develop the voice, serve the customers, and watch people enjoy something you created from scratch.

Also, I still make a pretty good pizza.

Role: Founder / Owner / Pizza Maker
Date: 2019–2020