Antonio Matarazzo and Matteo Venini were already old friends and restaurant co-workers when they started Washington D.C.’s popular Stellina Pizzeria, which takes its inspiration from the street food of southern Italy. Bored with the city’s fine-dining status quo, they developed their own version of neo-Neapolitan pizza and, before long, landed on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list three years in a row.

Since launching Stellina in the Union Market district in 2019—yes, right before the pandemic—they have added three locations, the latest recently opening in Tysons, Virginia. And every new store earns praise from the food media, including Thrillist, which named Stellina one of “the absolute best pizza shops in D.C.” in 2021, and Eater DC, which hailed it as one of the city’s “essential pizza restaurants” in February 2024.

Even so, the partners face the same problems that pizzeria owners everywhere have been contending with in 2024. In 2023, their four restaurants only generated profits between 5% and 8%, according to the Washington Business Journal (WBJ).

Related: Menu price hikes: How much is too much? This report has the answer.

Like most restaurateurs, the pizzaiolos were forced to pivot during the pandemic. That meant introducing a vending machine for pasta kits, such as cacio e peppe, as well as for sauces, noodles and cannolis. “We knew we had to find a way to get our food to customers if they couldn’t be in the restaurant,” Matarazzo told the WBJ. “We thought, In Italy, you can get wine at basically any vending machine. Why not bring that here? And so we did it with our food.”

Once the pandemic ended, it was back to business as usual, which brought citywide acclaim for the partners’ delicately rendered pizza crusts. “Other places usually focus on quality of ingredients,” Matarazzo told Northern Virginia Magazine in May 2021. “We focus on, how can I enjoy a pizza without feeling bloated?” Their solution: fermenting their dough for a solid 72 hours, yielding a light, airy crust—”like Neapolitan pie on helium,” the magazine notes.

But top-quality ingredients are no less important to Matarazzo and Venini, who offer pizzas like the Affumicata (smoked mozzarella, smoked cherry tomatoes, speck, dry figs and a balsamic reduction) and the Basilico alla Genovese (Genovese basil pesto, mozzarella, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, fresh mint and pistachios).

Still, keeping up with inflation and D.C.’s incremental minimum wage hikes—plus the phasing out of tipped pay—has presented a challenge to the pizza-making pals. “What sets us apart is that we don’t cut corners on quality,” Matarazzo explained to the WBJ. “It’s hard to keep our prices low when we need to pay more to attract workers and use quality ingredients. It’s also hard because we want to pay workers more than minimum wage, and we are getting rid of our tipped pay.” 

“We want to do what’s best for our workers, our customers and us,” he added.

Stellina’s menu prices remain affordable, judging from their website. Pizzas range between $17 and $19, while pasta dishes top out at $22 for the seafood-centric Chitarra di Pesce (homemade squid-ink chitarra pasta, shrimp, calamari, octopus, scallops, garlic and a lightly spicy tomato sauce), and paninis go for between $17 and $19.

Hiring new staff, on the other hand, is never easy. “With the market today, workers can make more than ever,” Matarazzo said in the WBJ interview. “We are offering high pay, better benefits and other ways to attract workers. Thankfully, our workers enjoy this environment, and word of mouth is the best way to find new workers.”

Matarazzo and Venini currently handle catering and food truck operations on their own. They’d like to expand that part of their business if they can just get more help. “That’s not sustainable for just us two, so we want to hire more help and do more events,” Matarazzo said.