By Charlie Pogacar
Troy Tracy sees great potential in Emmy Squared Pizza, the 29-location Detroit-style pizza chain that was founded in Brooklyn, New York in 2016. To him, the brand combines the best parts of Detroit and New York City into one approachable dining experience that will work just about anywhere in the U.S.
“You’re going to hear me say this probably a couple of times today,” said Tracy, who was named CEO of Emmy Squared Pizza in November, on the latest episode of Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast. “We are Detroit-style, [with a] Brooklyn soul. Detroit has that hardworking grit and drive… and “Brooklyn soul” meaning: culinary mecca. When you put those two together, we have a bit of a unique swagger in the space.”
An industry lifer, Tracy knows a good brand when he sees one. He cut his teeth in operations at Pizza Hut, serving as general manager and area director for the brand. After obtaining an MBA, Tracy was a franchisee with McAlister’s Deli and Arby’s prior to spending 10 years with Arby’s working in operations and franchising development. He moved over to Ascent Hospitality Management—parent company of Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and Huddle House—and spent 10 years there. The varied experiences have helped make Tracy a more well-rounded leader, he believes.
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“I’ve been in restaurant operations, corporate operations, franchisee support,” Tracy said. “I’ve been a franchisee myself. [Those experiences] help round out, I guess you might say, some areas of businesses your average operator or your average executive maybe doesn’t touch.”
Tracy’s host of business know-how will help shape the future of Emmy Squared Pizza, a unique brand that offers a menu filled with high-quality options. There’s the Detroit-style pizza, but also burgers and an upscale beverage menu featuring craft beer and handmade craft cocktails.
“One other thing I’d add is that we are very neighborhood centric,” Tracy said. “Our restaurants reflect the neighborhood and customer base [that frequent them]. We make an effort to do that. The restaurant in Charlotte does not look the same as even the restaurant in South Charlotte, or the one in Alexandria [Virginia], or any of the restaurants in New York City. That’s purposeful, that’s by design: that generates a lot of local following and passion from our guests and the regulars who love our brand.”
When asked his plans for tweaking the brand, Tracy doubled down on what the brand already has going for it, from the unique restaurant buildouts to the high-quality menu that offers a wide variety of consumers a good time. At a time when foot traffic has dwindled industry-wide, Emmy Squared Pizza is cutting against the grain by offering a differentiated experience, Tracy said, one that is worth telling the world about.
“One of the tweaks [we are making] is that we’ve never really taken a lot of effort to tell everyone about [us],” Tracy said. “So, really, the tweak is marketing-centric. We believe we have a good model. We have great food. We’re very committed to our model and our growth and our food and our hospitality—how we serve our guests and our craft cocktails…we just haven’t let everyone know about it. So it’s just letting more people know about Detroit-style, Brooklyn soul.”
To hear more about Tracy’s vision for Emmy Squared Pizza, check out the latest episode of Peel at one of the following links:
