By Charlie Pogacar
Before Bucky’s Pizza became one of New Jersey’s most talked-about pizza shops, Domenick Calise was on his hands and knees, sanding, painting and rebuilding. He had bought an out-of-business pizzeria’s lease for $28,000—equipment included—and set about turning it into something new with little more than sweat equity and stubbornness.
“There were upgrades that needed to be done,” Calise says. “I repainted the restaurant, put in some new floors and revamped the walk-in cooler. That process took way longer than it needed to—I thought it would take about two months and it ended up taking more like four. But that’s why hindsight is 20/20.”
What started as a renowned pop-up grew into the brick-and-mortar restaurant in Chatham, New Jersey, and officially opened for business in October 2024. All in all, the shop cost $125,000—a fraction of what some restaurants spend to open.
Related: The Pivot: Navigating the Transition From Pop-Up to Brick-and-Mortar
A year in, Bucky’s has achieved over $1 million in sales. That means the first-year shop is already a top performer in the industry—Slice recently reported to PMQ Pizza that the top quartile of independent pizzerias log an average sales figure of $658,548.
While the high-grossing shop may have been rebuilt thanks to Calise’s thriftiness, its standout first-year performance can be attributed to more than just resourcefulness and hard work. It seems Calise’s background as an HR director has lent itself well to the pizza space—and he’s got the results to prove it.
Human Resource(fulness)
Calise, who once led talent acquisition for an advertising agency, says his professional background has shaped his journey as a pizzeria owner. When he was laid off from his corporate job, the timing was terrifying: He and his wife were expecting their first child. But the pizza-making pop-ups that had filled his nights crystallized as a clear path forward.
Looking back, Calise can see that he made some mistakes early on, including trying to work through everything the way he once rebuilt the shop. “[At first], I was really playing the role of owner-operator in every sense,” Calise said. “I was working 100-plus hours a week, mixing all the dough, cooking all the food, doing everything myself. The big takeaway was that if I wanted the business to grow, I couldn’t be that person anymore. You have to be able to step back and learn to trust people.”
That understanding of people—and how to find the right ones—has become one of Bucky’s defining strengths. And, again, that was a skill Calise developed long ago.
“My background was hiring,” Calise said. “I understand the process. Hiring for a restaurant is different from hiring for an agency, but it’s a lot of the same principles. You find out where someone’s been, where they’re going and whether your values align.”
This translated when Calise had to replace his general manager. When he interviewed a candidate he liked, he made sure to take two additional steps to ensure they’d be a good cultural fit. For one, he tapped a friend who is vice president of operations for a large restaurant group in his area. The friend interviewed the candidate to vet his credentials and restaurant acumen. When the prospective manager passed that step with flying colors, Calise had them meet with current members of the team to ensure everyone would get along.
“At the end of the day, I wanted to get [the kitchen’s] buy-in, too,” Calise said. “Because [hiring a new GM] is an investment in my current staff, to give them somebody they can actually learn from. Because there are a couple of individuals I could envision someday running additional stores, but I have to make sure they are developing the right skillset.”
For Calise, the lessons from corporate life go beyond hiring; they shape how he leads. He focuses on retention, respect and gestures—big or small—that build trust and set him apart from other pizzeria owners. For example, he pays his staff when the shop is closed on holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day. He recently decided to close Bucky’s so he could do a pop-up in California and thought it was only fair to pay his team members then, too.
“You treat them well, and they’ll treat the business the same way,” Calise said. “A lot of our people in the kitchen say their former bosses were jerks or just really demanding. For me, it’s about appreciating what they do every day and trying to make sure this is a place they want to come back to.”
That philosophy has given Bucky’s a stable, loyal team—a rarity for a shop still in its first year. It also freed Calise to think about what’s next.
Scaling With Intention
Now, his attention has turned to optimizing the space they’ve been operating in since last October. Because Bucky’s traditional round pies, as well as its square, Detroit-style pizzas, have become Instagram darlings, there is plenty of demand. Bucky’s operates out of a converted second-generation restaurant, and as sales volume grows, the limits are becoming clear.
“The big issue I’m trying to solve now is how we increase production,” Calise said. “How do we produce enough dough in this space to support another store or bring back the pop-ups? Do we invest in new equipment and stay here, or find a longer-term lease where we have more stability?”
Expansion, Calise says, is not about chasing growth for its own sake. It’s about building infrastructure—operational and cultural—that will support it. When Calise speaks on this topic, he sounds like an operator wise beyond his years rather than one who opened his first pizza shop a year ago.
“I’ve known for a while I needed to figure this out,” he says. “Now I finally have time to sink my teeth into developing the plan, raising money and getting the systems right.”
Marketing By Design
Even Bucky’s marketing strategy reflects Calise’s methodical mindset. Instead of relying on direct mailers or print menus, he’s built the brand through social media and word-of-mouth momentum—a modern approach, but one rooted in old-school practicality.
“We’ve always had a strong focus on social,” he said. “Having influencers come and try the pizza creates a natural buzz. If it costs me a pizza to have someone post and that drives who knows how many sales, that’s pretty cheap marketing.”
That same calculated simplicity defines nearly every move Bucky’s makes. Calise is deliberate but restless—already thinking about a second location, potential mobile side hustles and the next evolution of his brand.
“I think the guerrilla marketing—bringing it to people before we opened—is what really led to our success,” he said. “Now it’s about how we grow but still maintain the quality and consistency that got us here.”
Proof Of Concept
Calise was torn about whether or not to share his sales figures with PMQ Pizza. He ultimately decided a rough estimate—the “seven figures” mentioned earlier—might help inspire other pizza shop owners about what’s possible. In Chatham, New Jersey, there’s a second-generation pizza shop, the fresh coats of paint long dried, that’s a testament to where a little grit, people skills and self belief can take somebody.
“It’s insane that I started making pizza four years ago in my house, and now I have a successful pizzeria,” Calise said. “But when I first started, I wanted to find stories that showed this could be done. If sharing mine helps someone else take that leap, then that’s worth it to me.”
